Trump: No Sanctions Relief for Iran Without a Deal

US President Donald Trump has said the United States will not release Iranian assets or lift sanctions on Tehran before a peace deal is reached. Speaking on NBC News' Meet the Press, he said Washington would consider such steps only after an agreement is concluded.

"Comes after. Yeah. If they behave, if they do a good job, we start talking. Yeah." Trump said, stressing that the sanctions regime remains in place for now.

He also hinted that a deal may be close. "We're very close to a deal, or I'm going to blow the hell out of them", he said. The US administration has been trying for weeks to reach a peaceful settlement to the conflict, which erupted after US and Israeli attacks on Iran in late February.

Trump also said he was not seeking to include Lebanon in a possible short-term deal with Tehran, but added that he would be prepared to speak with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

(reuters, max)