Trump: I'm hoping for new Iran deal that is 'better for them'

Two days after withdrawing from a nuclear deal with Iran, President Donald Trump said Thursday that he wants to pursue a new accord with Tehran that is better for the U.S. and “better for them", NBC News reports.

“I hope to be able to make a deal with them, a good deal, a fair deal — a good deal for them, better for them,” Trump said at a campaign rally. “But we cannot allow them to have nuclear weapons. We must be able to go to a site and check that site. We have to be able to go into their military bases to see whether or not they’re cheating.”

Trump has argued that Obama gave up too much to Iran at a time when crippling sanctions gave the U.S. the most leverage in negotiations. He suggested those sanctions, which he is reimposing, are the predicate for forcing Iran into new talks that will benefit both countries.

“Who knows?” he said of the possibility of a new deal with Tehran, “because we’re putting the harshest, strongest, most stringent sanctions on Iran.”

Trump noted that nuclear and non-nuclear wars result from “weakness.”

His peace-through-strength approach to foreign policy is working, he said.

“We are unlocking new opportunities for prosperity and for peace,” he said. “America is being respected again.”