Days after ordering troops to the region, the president suggested that Japan may help facilitate talks with Tehran.
By Michael Kranish Michael Kranish National political investigative reporter Email Bio Follow May 27 at 3:08 PM President Trump on Monday denied that the United States is seeking regime change in Iran, dialing back hawkish rhetoric days after ordering 1,500 additional U.S. troops to the region.
A number of Democrats have expressed alarm about whether Trump’s actions would lead to war, and they also had questioned the administration’s interpretation of intelligence to argue that Iran was preparing for offensive action and therefore had to be countered. President Trump speaks as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe listens during a news conference in Tokyo on Monday. That could set the stage for U.S. talks with Iran, Trump suggested, saying that “I do believe Iran would like to talk and if they’d like to talk, we’ll talk also. . . . Nobody wants to see terrible things happen, especially me.”
But he initially followed the advice of advisers who urged him not to scuttle the deal, which was struck between Iran and six global powers: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia and China, as well as the United States. Earlier this month, Iran said it will withdraw from part of the deal in July unless sanctions are eased. Tensions between the United States and Iran escalated further, as the Trump administration and some of its allies in the Persian Gulf region accused Iran or its proxies of attacking oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
Last Friday, Trump said he was sending “a small number of troops” — about 1,500 — as well as a squadron of fighter jets and other equipment in what he called a “mostly protective” measure. He also authorized the multibillion-dollar sale of arms to Saudi Arabia, a traditional foe of Iran, invoking an emergency authorization to sidestep a congressional review of the sale.
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