NEW YORK, March 9. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has said he wants to make a deal with Iran on its nuclear program but the time for talks is "coming up."

"There are two ways Iran can be handled - militarily, or you make a deal. I would prefer to make a deal, because I'm not looking to hurt Iran. <…> We can make a deal that would be just as good as if you won militarily. But the time is happening now. The time is coming up. Something's going to happen one way or the other," he told Fox News.

He recalled that in his letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei he had expressed hope that he wanted talks. According to the US leader, the deal would be beneficial both for Washington and Tehran.

Commenting on Trump’s letter, Khamenei rejected talks with the US, saying that Washington doesn’t really care about resolving problems but is focused on its own interests.