President Trump says he's sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, seeking a new deal with Tehran to restrain its rapidly advancing nuclear program and replace the agreement he withdrew America from in his first term in office, reports the AP. Iranian state media immediately picked up on Trump's acknowledgment, given in portions of a Fox Business News interview aired on Friday, though there was no confirmation from Khamenei's office that any letter had been received. The interview is expected to air in full on Sunday. It also remained unclear just how the 85-year-old supreme leader would react as he recently said negotiations with America "are not intelligent, wise or honorable."
Trump's acknowledgment comes as both Israel and the US have warned they will never let Iran acquire a nuclear weapon, leading to fears of a military confrontation as Tehran enriches uranium at near weapons-grade levels. Under the original 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium only up to 3.67% purity and maintain a stockpile of uranium of 661 pounds. The last report by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran's program put its stockpile at 18,286 pounds as it enriches a fraction of it to 60% purity. "I've written them a letter saying, 'I hope you're going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it's going to be a terrible thing,'" Trump said, indicating the letter was sent Wednesday.
"I'm not sure that everybody agrees with me, but we can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily," Trump said. "Something's going to happen one way or the other." Trump offered no details of what, if anything, was specifically offered to Iran in the letter. Iran long has maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, even as its officials increasingly threaten to pursue a bomb as tensions are high with the US over sanctions hobbling Iran's economy and with Israel as a shaky ceasefire holds in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. US intelligence agencies assess that Iran has yet to begin a weapons program, but has "undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so." (More President Trump stories.)
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