President Trump assures U.S. ready to make new deal with Iran

"I would say there might be an escalation between us and the Iranians." However, Iran was now "treating us with much more respect right now, than they did in the past," Donald Trump said.

By REUTERS, JONATHAN WEBER ROSEN
Updated: JULY 13, 2018 15:55
US President Donald Trump (photo credit: REUTERS/LEAH MILLIS)
US President Donald Trump
(photo credit: REUTERS/LEAH MILLIS)
BRUSSELS-US President Donald Trump assured the US's readiness to return to the bargaining table if Iran initiates talks, he said in a statement at a NATO news conference when asked about rising tensions with Iran on Thursday morning.
"I would say there might be an escalation between us and the Iranians." However, Iran was now "treating us with much more respect right now, than they did in the past," Trump added.
"I know they’re having a lot of problems and their economy is collapsing, but I will tell you this - at a certain point they’re going to call me and they’re going to say let’s make a deal. And we’ll make a deal. But they’re feeling a lot of pain right now," Trump said.
In May, the United States pulled out of a multinational deal that lifted many sanctions against Iran in return for curbs to its nuclear program. Washington has since told countries they must halt all imports of Iranian oil from Nov. 4 or face US financial measures, with no exemptions.
Since President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the agreement, European states have been scrambling to ensure Iran gets enough economic benefits to persuade it to maintain the nuclear curbs required in the deal.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on American allies on Thursday to help impose economic pressure on Iran, and accused Tehran of continuing to sell weapons in the Middle East despite United Nations resolutions.
"We must cut off all funding the regime uses to fund terrorism & proxy wars," Pompeo said in a Twitter post ahead of a scheduled meeting with the European Union's foreign affairs and security policy representative, Federica Mogherini, in Brussels.
But so far it has proven difficult to offset the impact of US sanctions, with European firms reluctant to risk far-reaching US financial penalties to do business in Iran.
Pompeo, who has been attending a NATO summit in Brussels flew in from Abu Dhabi, where he discussed Iran with leaders of the United Arab Emirates.
Senior State Department officials have also completed three days of talks on Iran in Saudi Arabia, and "discussed new ways to deprive the regime of revenues," a State Department official told reporters traveling on Pompeo’s plane.
In Saudi Arabia, the officials discussed US oil sanctions to deny Iran revenue, maintaining a well-stocked oil market to guard against volatility and helping partners find alternatives to Iran oil, the official said.
In another tweet, Pompeo said that on Thursday, together with allies from Britain, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Jordan "we reaffirmed our support for the Syrian political process and our goals of removing Iran’s influence, defeating #ISIS, deterring chemical weapons use."
Pompeo said Iran continued to send weapons across the Middle East, "in blatant violation of #UN Security Council resolutions."
"Iran’s regime wants to start trouble wherever it can. It’s our responsibility to stop it," he said.
After the NATO summit, Trump hailed a personal victory for his own strategy of complaining loudly that NATO budgets were unfair to U.S. taxpayers saying, "I let them know that I was extremely unhappy," but added that  "It all came together at the end. It was a little tough for a little while."