U.S. President Donald Trump. [Reuters]
U.S. President Donald Trump. [Reuters]

U.S. President Donald Trump said he wants to meet Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei.

Asked about the possibility of a meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei in an interview with the New York Post podcast "Pod Force One" released Tuesday, Trump said, "I'd like to meet with him."

"I want to meet with everybody," he added, and went on to say, "depending on how everything goes, at some point I probably will."

Trump said Ayatollah Khamenei is "clearly involved" in Iran's decision-making during the end-of-war negotiations, adding, "I think they respect him very much."

Trump said he had heard that Ayatollah Khamenei's health was not particularly good, but that he was giving his approval during the negotiations.

Trump also claimed that Iran "has already agreed not to have nuclear weapons."

Asked what a renewed military confrontation with Iran would look like, he said, "Right now, we don't need ground troops," adding, "As you know, we've already wiped out a large portion of their military with airstrikes alone."


joze@heraldcorp.com