International Desk(National times)- US President Donald Trump has said he’s hopeful about the prospects of reaching a deal with Iran even after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that any US attack on the Islamic republic would trigger a regional war. Asked about the Iranian leader’s warning, Trump told reporters: “Of course he is going to say that,” before adding, “hopefully we’ll make a deal. If we don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he was right.” Following the Iranian authorities\u2019 response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, Trump has threatened military action and ordered the dispatch of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East. Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday likened the recent protests to a \u201ccoup\u201d, warning that a US attack would trigger a broad conflict. \u201cThe Americans should know that if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war,\u201d he said, telling Iranians they \u201cshould not be scared\u201d of Trump\u2019s rhetoric.\u201cThey (rioters) attacked the police, government centres, IRGC centres, banks, and mosques, and burned the Quran \u2026 It was like a coup,\u201d Khamenei said, adding that \u201cthe coup was suppressed\u201d. Asked about the Iranian leader\u2019s warning, Trump told reporters on Sunday: \u201cOf course he is going to say that. \u201cHopefully we\u2019ll make a deal. If we don\u2019t make a deal, then we\u2019ll find out whether or not he was right,\u201d he said. The demonstrations in Iran began as an expression of discontent at the high cost of living, but grew into a mass anti-government movement that the country\u2019s leaders have described as \u201criots\u201d stoked by the United States and Israel. As tensions heightened between Iran and the US, Tehran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday said he was concerned about \u201cmiscalculations\u201d but said he believed Trump was \u201cwise enough to make the correct decision\u201d. He said Iran has lost trust in the United States as a negotiating partner, adding that some countries in the region were acting as intermediaries to rebuild trust. \u201cSo I see the possibility of another talk if the US negotiation team follows what President Trump said: to come to a fair and equitable deal to ensure that there is no nuclear weapons,\u201d he said in an interview with CNN.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
International Desk(National times)- US President Donald Trump has said he’s hopeful about the prospects of reaching a deal with Iran even after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that any US attack on the Islamic republic would trigger a regional war. Asked about the Iranian leader’s warning, Trump told reporters: “Of course he is going […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":120068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n