I am ready to meet with Iran ‘any time they want to’

Carlos Barria | Reuters

President Donald Trump speaks during a joint news conference with Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in the East Room of the White House in Washington, July 30, 2018.

President Donald Trump on Monday said that he would be willing to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani “any time they want to,” and that he would impose no preconditions to such a meeting.

“They want to meet, I’ll meet. Any time they want,” Trump said. The president’s comments came amid escalating tension between the U.S. and Iran. Earlier this month, the president threatened Rouhani in an all-caps post on Twitter that called out the Iranian leader by name.

Trump tweet

The president’s remarks Monday came during a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

A meeting with Rouhani would be “good for the country, good for them, good for us, and good for the world,” the president said.

It’s not clear whether Iran would accept any proposed meeting, particularly given the threats the president has issued. In July, Rouhani’s chief of staff said that Trump had asked eight times for a meeting with Rouhani, and was rejected each time, according to a state-run news agency.

Trump, whose White House has stylized him as the “ultimate negotiator and dealmaker,” stressed the high stakes of any potential meeting with Rouhani.

“Speaking to other people, especially when you’re talking about potentials of war, and death, and famine, and lots of other things — you meet,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with meeting.”

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.