Mar-a-lago: US President Donald Trump expressed on Sunday that he intends to engage in discussions with Iran’s new leadership, who have shown interest in initiating talks with him.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Trump, during a phone call from his Mar-a-Lago resort, conveyed to The Atlantic magazine that the Iranian leadership’s desire to communicate was welcomed by him. Trump remarked, “They want to talk, and I agreed to talk, so I will talk to them. They should have done it sooner. They should have offered what was very practical and easy earlier, but they waited too long.”

When questioned about the timing of these discussions, Trump was non-committal, stating, “I can’t tell you that.” He highlighted that some Iranian officials previously involved in negotiations were no longer alive. Trump further elaborated, “Most of these people are gone. Some of the people we were dealing with are gone because it was a big blow-it really was a big blow. They should have done it sooner. They could have reached an agreement. They should have done it sooner, but they were too clever.”