Trump open to possible talks with Khamenei, Rubio says
Shafaq News- Washington
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that President Donald Trump prefers reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran and would be willing to meet Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei if Tehran sought direct engagement.
“Nation states need to interact with one another — I serve under a president that’s willing to meet with anybody,” Rubio told Bloomberg. “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.”
On February 6, the US and Iran concluded the first round of nuclear talks in Muscat under Omani sponsorship. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the discussions as indirect and focused exclusively on the nuclear file, stressing that progress would require an approach free of threats or pressure. Trump, meanwhile, warned that failure to secure a deal would carry “very steep” consequences for Iran. A source told Reuters that the two sides plan to hold a second round of negotiations in Geneva on February 17.
Read more: US-Iran Muscat talks: A diplomatic opening shadowed by red lines
