U.S. President Donald Trump said he wants to meet Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
In an interview on the New York Post's podcast "Pod Force One," released on the 3rd (local time), when asked about the possibility of talks with Mojtaba Khamenei, President Trump said, "I would like to meet him."
Trump said, "I want to meet everyone," adding, "Depending on how everything goes, at some point we probably will meet."
Mojtaba assumed the new post of Iran's supreme leader in early March, succeeding his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike. However, he has not yet appeared in public or released a speech in his own voice.
President Trump said that although Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public, he is "clearly involved" in the cease-fire negotiations and added, "I think they (the Iranians) respect him greatly." He also noted that despite poor health, he has been granting approvals related to the talks.
President Trump claimed of Iran, "They have already agreed not to have nuclear weapons."
When asked what it would look like if hostilities with Iran resumed, he said, "As of now, there is no need for ground troops," adding, "As you know, we have already annihilated a substantial portion of their military with airstrikes alone."