US President Donald Trump speaks during a joint press conference with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (not pictured) at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo on May 27, 2019. File photo: Kiyoshi Ota | AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The United States is open to dealing with Iran's current leadership, President Donald Trump revealed on Monday, but nuclear weapons remain a sticking point for Washington when dealing with the Islamic Republic.
"I'm not looking ... to hurt Iran at all. I'm looking to have Iran say 'no nuclear weapons,' " he said.
Trump struck an upbeat tone at a press conference in Tokyo with Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.
"It has a chance to be a great country with the same leadership. We're not looking for regime change," he said.
Abe, who met with Iranian FM Javid Zarif earlier this month, has offered to broker a deal between Washington and Tehran. Trump said he welcomed the initiative.
"I think Iran, again I think Iran has tremendous economic potential. And I look forward to letting them get back to the stage where they can show that. I think Iran, I know so many people from Iran. These are great people," Trump added.
Tasnim news, Iranian media close the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has recently reported the guards believe Trump's tone has changed.
He also expressed that he believes Iran "would like to make a deal."
"I think that's very smart of them and that's a possibility to happen also," Trump said.
Trump negotiated with regimes like North Korea where his predecessors have stuck to traditional diplomatic approaches.
Some analysts, however, do not believe Trump truly wants to negotiate, rather to pursue a containment policy.
“They are interested in containing Iran, impoverishing Iran so that it perhaps is less active in the region... the ultimate goal is regime change," said Barbara Slavin, a foreign policy analyst at the Atlantic Council while speaking on Rudaw's The Washington Perspective on Friday — a weekly program from the US capital with topical experts on the American point-of-view.
Last May, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the former administration of President Barack Obama.
"... look what's happened since I terminated the Iran deal," Trump said, referring to rapid inflation that has hit the country and the devaluation of the rial vs. the US dollar.
"Now they're pulling back because they've got serious economic problems," he added.
Trump reiterated his belief that Iran was behind "every major attack" in the Middle East when he came into office in 2016. "They were involved with everything."
Last week, there were reports that the Pentagon would send 10,000 US forces to the Middle East.
Trump announced on Friday that 1,500 troops would be sent to the Middle East in a "mostly protective" role in the coming weeks "with their primary responsibilities and activities being defensive in nature."
Iraqi officials are concerned their country has the most to lose if war breaks out between Iran and the US, at a time when Iraq is recovering from three devastating years of war with the Islamic State (ISIS). On Sunday, Iraq FM Mohammed al-Hakim hosted counterpart Zarif for talks.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told media outlets on Saturday the country is going through extraordinary times and admitted economic sanctions are causing serious hardship. He insisted however Iran would resist.
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