President Trump said the U.S. was not looking for regime change in Iran after weeks of escalating tension and the deployment of additional American troops to the region.
Instead, during a news conference at the end of his four-day state visit to Japan on Monday, he said that he was seeking to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons, and talked up the impact of economic sanctions on curbing anti-U.S. activities.
“It has a chance to be a great country with the same leadership,” he said. “We aren’t looking for regime change — I just want to make that clear. We are looking for no nuclear weapons.”
Tensions have risen ever since Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal last year.
Washington reimposed sanctions and has warned frequently of Tehran’s destabilizing influence on the Middle East.
In recent weeks, officials claimed to have intelligence of an increased threat level against U.S. forces. Iran is believed to have been behind a recent attack on two Saudi oil tankers.
The Trump administration deploy a carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the Middle East in response and on Friday Trump announced he would send an additional 1,500 troops to the region.
On Saturday, John Bolton, the president’s national security adviser, repeated the warnings, saying the U.S. had “deep and serious” intelligence on Iranian threats.
Yet Trump offered a different tone as he stood beside Shinzō Abe, Japan’s prime minister, in Tokyo.
“I really believe that Iran would like to make a deal, and I think that’s very smart of them, and I think that’s a possibility to happen,” he said.
Abe has offered his help in brokering a deal.
“Peace and stability of the Middle East is very important for Japan and the United States and the international community as a whole,” he said.
Local broadcaster NHK reported that the Japanese leader was considering a trip to Tehran next month.