US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Saturday said that US President Donald Trump would be open to meeting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei if such an opportunity arose, signalling Washington’s willingness to engage in talks with Tehran.
He said Trump preferred pursuing a deal and negotiations with Iran’s leadership, which could also open the possibility of a direct meeting between Trump and Khamenei.
This comes amid deepened tensions between Washington and Tehran.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Rubio projected Trump as keen on resolving global conflicts through dialogue. He said, "I’m pretty confident in saying that if the Ayatollah said tomorrow he wanted to meet with President Trump, the President would meet him, not because he agrees with the Ayatollah but because he thinks that’s the way you solve problems in the world."
He also clarified Trump’s approach to diplomacy, adding, "he doesn’t view meeting someone as a concession."
On Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Rubio said, " it’s pretty clear that Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, that that poses a threat not just to the United States, to Europe, to world security, and to the region. There’s no doubt about it."
Defending the US military presence in the region and Trump’s decision to deploy another aircraft carrier near Iran, Rubio said, "The second is we obviously want to have forces in the region because Iran has shown the willingness and the capability to lash and strike out at the United States presence in the region. We have bases because of our alliances in the region, and Iran has shown in the past that they are willing to attack us and/or threaten our bases. So we have to have sufficient firepower in the region to ensure that they don’t make a mistake and come after us and trigger something larger."
He further added that "the President has said that his preference is to reach a deal with Iran."
However, earlier in the day, Trump struck a different tone, suggesting that regime change in Iran could be beneficial. Speaking to reporters at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, he said a change in Iran’s leadership would be the "best thing that could happen."
"Seems like that would be the best thing that could happen," Trump said when asked whether he wanted regime change in Iran.
"For 47 years, they've been talking and talking and talking. In the meantime, we've lost a lot of lives while they talk," he added.
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