US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he was open to negotiations with Iran. "We are ready to make a real agreement, not like the one made by the previous administration [of Barack Obama], which was a real disaster, "he said in a speech to war veterans in Kansas City.
The statement came less than 48 hours after he raised the tone against Iranian President Hassan Rohani. The Iranian leader warned Washington not to play with fire, and in response Trump tweeted, "Never again threaten the United States or suffer consequences like the few that have suffered before in history."
In Tuesday's speech, Trump said the decision to withdraw the US from the deal with Iran has changed the behavior of the Iranian leadership.
In May, Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement signed by his predecessor, Barack Obama, on one of the most forceful foreign policy decisions since the beginning of his term. The agreement provided that Iran would undertake to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for relief in international sanctions.
The US president, who accused Iran of being "the main state sponsor of terrorism," said the country cheated the deal to develop its nuclear program and again imposed sanctions on Tehran.
The new sanctions, which will come into force in August, try to target Iran's ballistic missile programs and regional influence - threatening further damage to the already battered Iranian economy.
