Iran Must 'Reduce Malign Behavior', Agree to New Nuclear Deal - Pompeo

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during an interview said President Donald Trump would be prepared to sit down with the Iranians if they reduce their malign behavior in the Middle East and agree to enter a new nuclear deal.

"[The] president wants to meet with folks to solve problems," Pompeo told CNBC News on Monday. "If the Iranians demonstrate a commitment to make fundamental changes in how they treat their own people, reduce their malign behavior, can agree that it's worthwhile to enter into a nuclear agreement that actually prevents proliferation, then the president said he's prepared to sit down and have the conversation with them."

Earlier in the day, however, Trump said he would meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at any time without any preconditions. Last week, Trump warned Rouhani that if he ever threatened the United States again, Iran would suffer that consequences that few throughout history have ever suffered.

On July 24 the US president said that he would be ready to make a new deal with Iran, as long as it was different from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), more commonly known as the Iran nuclear agreement.

In early May, Trump withdrew from the JCPOA, which was signed in 2015 in Vienna by Iran, the European Union, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany.