Iran is looking less confident following the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, President Donald Trump has said.
Following his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on Tuesday, the US president fielded questions in a meandering press conference.
In response to a question regarding the value of the light-on-detail agreement he signed with President Kim, Mr Trump segued to talking about the international nuclear deal with Iran from which the US recently withdrew.
“I have been given a tough hand,” Mr Trump said. “I was given this and the Iran deal and other problems. We are doing really well. The Iran deal, I have to be honest, I did it because nuclear is always number one to me. Nuclear is number one.”
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He then claimed that his failure to honour the nuclear agreement had modified Tehran’s foreign policy.
“On the Iran deal, I think Iran is a different country now,” he said. “I don’t think they are looking as much to the Mediterranean and so much at Syria like they were with total confidence. I don’t think they are so confident right now.
“I hope with that being said, I hope at the appropriate time after the sanctions kick in and they are brutal on what we put on Iran. I hope they come back and negotiate a real deal. Right now it is too soon for that.”