Trump says open to meeting with Iran's Sayyed Khamenei or president
6 Min Read
In an interview for Time magazine, the US president covers a myriad of topics, predicting that Saudi Arabia would join the normalization deals.
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US President Donald Trump speaks to the press as he departs from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 25, 2025, en route to Joint Base Andrews (AFP)
US President Donald Trump stated this week that his administration is engaged in negotiations with China to reach a tariff agreement and claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping had called him, Time magazine reported.
Beijing, however, has challenged Washington’s characterization of the ongoing talks.
In an interview for Time conducted on Tuesday and published Friday, Trump did not specify when Xi allegedly called or the details of their conversation, only saying he himself would not initiate contact.
"He's called. And I don't think that's a sign of weakness on his behalf," Trump indicated.
Prior to their publication, the Chinese Foreign Ministry had urged Washington to stop “misleading the public” about the status of bilateral tariff discussions — a sentiment echoed by the Chinese Embassy in Washington.
During the interview, Trump claimed to have made 200 tariff deals and said he expected the negotiations to conclude within three or four weeks, likening the US to a department store where he determines the pricing. He provided no specifics about the purported deals.
Asked whether it would be a victory if tariffs remained as high as 50% a year from now, Trump responded, “Total victory”.
"We're meeting with China. We're doing fine with everybody. But ultimately, I've made all the deals," he said.
Describing his approach, Trump added, "The deal is a deal that I choose. View it differently: We are a department store and we set the price. I meet with the companies, and then I set a fair price, what I consider to be a fair price, and they can pay it, or they don't have to pay it."
Ukraine, Russia, and the Middle East
Trump also laid out his broader ambitions for striking international agreements, including with key players in the war in Ukraine and in the Middle East involving Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Trump, who took office on January 20 and had pledged during his campaign to end the war in Ukraine on his first day, expressed optimism for a swift resolution.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, he said a deal appeared to be within reach and noted he had set his own undisclosed deadline.
According to the report, his administration has recently presented a proposal during meetings with European and Ukrainian officials. His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Friday.
In remarks published by Time, Trump said Crimea — the Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia in 2014 — would remain under Moscow’s control.
"Crimea will stay with Russia. And (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskiy understands that, and everybody understands that it's been with them for a long time. It's been with them long before Trump came along," he said.
Read more: Reuters: US peace proposals to end Russia-Ukraine war unveiled
Trump thinks Saudi Arabia will normalize ties with 'Israel'
Turning to the Middle East, Trump predicted that Saudi Arabia would join the "Abraham Accords" — the normalization agreements brokered between "Israel" and several Arab states during his first term.
"I think Saudi Arabia will go into the Abraham Accords," he pointed out. "That will happen."
Trump added that he plans to visit Saudi Arabia and the wider region next month.
Read more: US to offer KSA $100 billion arms deal during Trump visit: Reuters
A deal could be reached with Iran
He also voiced confidence that a deal could be reached with Iran. When asked whether he would be open to meeting with Iranian Leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei or President Masoud Pezeshkian, Trump responded, “Sure”.
Trump expressed optimism that Washington and Tehran will reach a new agreement over Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump, who withdrew the US from the 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers in 2018, reiterated his warning that military action against Iran remains on the table unless a new deal is swiftly secured to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
"I think we're going to make a deal with Iran," he indicated, referencing recent indirect US-Iranian talks that reportedly resulted in an agreement to draft a framework for a potential agreement.
Speaking separately to reporters at the White House on Friday, Trump echoed his optimism, saying, "Iran, I think, is going very well. We'll see what happens."
A US official described the talks as having made “very good progress.”
US would join war should 'Israel' strike Iran
Expert-level negotiations are set to resume Saturday in Oman, which has served as a mediator between the two adversaries. A third round of high-level nuclear discussions is also scheduled for the same day.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted on the complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear capabilities, arguing that partial measures would not guarantee "Israel’s" security.
Asked in the interview whether he feared Netanyahu might draw the United States into a war with Iran, Trump replied, “No”.
However, when pressed on whether the US would join a war should "Israel" strike Iran, Trump responded, "I may go in very willingly if we can't get a deal. If we don't make a deal, I'll be leading the pack."
Domestic actions and legal controversies
Domestically, Trump, who has vowed to use a second term for “retributio", defended his use of executive power, including actions targeting law firms, foreign students, and former US officials.
"I’ve gotta be doing something right, because I've had a lot of law firms give me a lot of money," he told Time.
He also stood by his administration’s revocation of visas for pro-Palestine students, saying, "They can protest, but they can't destroy the schools like they did with Columbia and others."
When asked whether he would instruct the Justice Department to release any evidence linking a Tufts University student arrested by US authorities to Hamas, Trump said he was unaware of the case but would look into it.
The student, Turkish national Rumeysa Ozturk, has insisted she was wrongfully detained based on her pro-Palestinian activism, including co-authoring an opinion piece in Tufts’ student newspaper.
Trump also defended a recent directive targeting Christopher Krebs, whom he dismissed as head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in 2020 during his first term.
