US President Donald Trump has revealed that he wrote a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, inviting him to negotiate a deal. However, he did not disclose further details.

Trump mentioned the letter in an interview, a short clip of which was released on Friday.

He hinted that the time for a deal with Iran is approaching, responding to a question about Russia’s offer to mediate negotiations with Tehran.

“Something is going to happen one way or the other,” Trump said.

“I hope that Iran, and I’ve written him a letter saying, I hope you’re going to negotiate, because if we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing for them.”

He added, “The other alternative is we have to do something because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon,” suggesting military action as a last resort.

Trump has maintained that there are only two ways to handle Iran—either through military intervention or a diplomatic agreement.

On February 4, he reinstated his 2020 “maximum pressure” policy on Iran, aimed at blocking all paths to nuclear weapons and countering its regional influence. However, the letter to Khamenei marks his first concrete step toward diplomacy.

Iran has yet to respond. Khamenei recently stated he opposes direct talks with the Trump administration, citing a lack of trust. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed a willingness to negotiate but remains aligned with Khamenei’s final decision.

“They have intensified all the sanctions and now they are saying that let’s talk to each other,” Pezeshkian remarked.

“First prove that you are open to dialogue, and then we can talk to each other.”