US President Donald Trump said that he is not demanding that Lebanon be a part of any peace deal with Iran in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" released on Sunday.
"I think they'd like to see it, but I'm not demanding," Trump said in the interview recorded on Friday.
His comments came as the IDF struck Hezbollah terror targets in Dahiyeh, Beirut, on Sunday.
Additionally, the interview came days after Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, which Hezbollah refused to recognize.
In the interview with NBC's Kristen Welker, Trump claimed that Iran and the US are "very close" to a deal, and said that Iran has "conceded the fact that they will not have nuclear weapons."
"We're very close to having a deal, and if we don't have a deal, we'll do it one way or the other. Either way, we win," he added.
Trump says he will not unfreeze Iranian assets before deal reached, contradicting regime demand
Notably, Trump said that he would not unfreeze any Iranian assets before a deal is reached, which Iran has claimed is a non-starter for reaching an agreement.
"If they behave, if they do a good job, we start talking."
The Islamic Republic has demanded that the US release $12 billion in frozen assets held in Qatar as a precondition for continuing the talks.
Trump then blamed the Islamic regime for the fact that no ceasefire deal has been reached, claiming that the Iranians were too proud to reach one.
“They’re strong, they’re proud, there are things they never thought they’d be doing that they’re going to have to do. They’ve got no choice, and it takes a little while,” he said. Trump also reiterated claims that Operation Epic Fury had "totally destroyed Iran's military."
Trump says that he would meet directly with Khamenei, claims he is 'more rational' than his father
He then stated that he would be open to direct talks with Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
“I would if he’d like to, but I have not spoken to him directly," he said.
Trump also confirmed that Khamenei is alive, that he is part of the decision-making process for a peace deal, and that he is "more rational" than his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“He’s pretty badly injured. So there’s a certain bravery there," Trump said.
However, neither Israeli nor US intelligence perceives Mojtaba as more rational than his father.
"A lot of people, if they were injured that badly, they wouldn’t be talking about, you know, ‘How are we doing with the United States?’ They’d have other things on their mind. So there’s a certain bravery there. But he is very seriously injured."