Days after war talk, Donald Trump says he's open to deal with Iran on nukes

David Jackson | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump tempers Iran rhetoric, ready for new deal President Donald Trump tempered his threatening rhetoric toward Iran Tuesday, two days after he sent an all-caps warning of future conflict. (July 24)

A day and a half after rattling the sword toward Iran, President Donald Trump told a veterans group Tuesday that his administration was ready to to talk about a new nuclear deal with Tehran.

"I withdrew the United States from the horrible one-sided Iran nuclear deal, and Iran is not the same country anymore," Trump told the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Kansas City. "We’re ready to make a deal.”

On Sunday night, Trump reacted to comments by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani by tweeting "NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE."

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded with a tweet that included some all-caps punctuation of his own. "COLOR US UNIMPRESSED," Zarif said, adding that "we've been around for millennia & seen fall of empires, incl our own, which lasted more than the life of some countries. BE CAUTIOUS."

As for a new nuclear agreement, Iran has said it wants to retain the 2015 agreement it signed with the United States and allies. Trump said in May that he was withdrawing from the agreement signed by the Barack Obama administration.

More: Trump to Iranian president: ‘Never ever threaten’ U.S. again

More: Rouhani tells Trump: War with Iran is 'mother of all wars'

The Iran comments came in a wide-ranging speech to the VFW that included talk about national defense, trade policy and tariffs, North Korea, and attacks on the media.

The VFW speech also took on a partisan tone as Trump attacked Democrats on immigration policy and talked about how much he was looking forward to seeking re-election in 2020.

In touting his defense build-up, Trump also maintained tough talk toward Iran and others.

"We remember George Washington’s advice that the best way to preserve the peace is to be prepared for war," Trump told the veterans. "And that is exactly what we do all the time."

Throughout his speech, Trump also:

• Said he appreciated North Korea's decision to dismantle a missile test site as a good sign for talks to get Kim Jong Un's government to give up its nuclear weapons programs.

"It seems to be going very well," Trump said, though numerous foreign policy analysts have said North Korea has yet to provide a compete inventory of its nuclear weapons facilities or plans to dismantle them.

• Defended tariffs as way to fight back against unfair trade practices by other countries. While farmers and members of other sectors of the economy say tariffs hurt their businesses, Trump counseled "patience" and said the economy overall is going well.

"This country is doing better than it ever has before, economically," he said, and that means it's a good time to challenge other countries on trade policies .

• Attacked the media for its coverage of tariffs and other issues, saying at one point that "what you're seeing and what you are reading is not what's happening" with his presidency.

"Don't believe the crap you see from these people, the fake news!" Trump also said.

• Again advocated creation of a "space force" as another branch of the military and added, "we'll be going to Mars very soon."

• Attacked Democrats because a few of them have called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and said it would become an issue in the November congressional elections and his own re-election.

"I hope they keep it up," Trump said, "because we're going to have a lot of fun in four months, and we're going to have a lot of fun in 2020 running against that."