President Donald Trump has said that he would meet with the leaders of Iran without preconditions “whenever they want”.

“I would certainly meet with Iran if they wanted to meet,” Mr Trump said during an event at the White House. “I do believe that they will probably end up wanting to meet. I’m ready whenever they want to."

Mr Trump, who has previously taken tough stances towards Iran and pulled the US out of the seven-party 2015 deal established to try and limit its nuclear weapons ambitions, continued: “No preconditions. They want to meet, I’ll meet. Whenever they want."

Speaking on Monday, the president said he believed diplomacy was beneficial, and that he would “meet with anybody”. He continued to reinforce the belief that meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was a success, even though he has faced bipartisan criticism for the events of that meeting.

“Speaking to other people, especially when you’re talking about potentials of war and death and famine and a lot of other things — you meet. There’s nothing wrong with a meeting,” he said, while speaking at the White House during an appearance with Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte.

White House: Trump will not allow Iran to keep making threats against US

That fresh approach came after Mr Trump exchanged harsh warnings and rhetoric with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, and Mr Trump said that Iran could "suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before" if the country threatened the US.

Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests Show all 16 1 /16 Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests President Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki Reuters Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests An advert from Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat is on display in Helsinki Reuters Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests President Trump in a meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto AFP/Getty Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests President Trump meets with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in Helsinki EPA Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests President Trump talks with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in Mantyniemi, the official residence of the Finnish President EPA Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests US, Finnish and Russian flags fly in front of the Presidential Palace in Helsinki EPA Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests A protester wears a mask featuring a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin during the so-called "Helsinki against Trump and Putin" demonstration on July 16, 2018, in the Finnish capital Helsinki. The US and Russian leaders opened an historic summit in Helsinki on Monday, with Donald Trump promising an "extraordinary relationship" and Vladimir Putin saying it was high time to thrash out disputes around the world. / AFP PHOTO / Jonathan NACKSTRANDJONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images JONATHAN NACKSTRAND AFP/Getty Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests Vladimir Putin gifts a football to President Trump at the press conference that followed their meeting AP Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests Trump supporters hold banners during a demonstration in Helsinki AFP/Getty Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests People protest for women's reproductive rights in Helsinki's Senate Square Reuters Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests A crowd watches the motorcade transporting President Trump through Helsinki AFP/Getty Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests Russian President Putin drives through Helsinki on his way to meet with President Trump EPA Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests A man in the audience of the joint press conference holds up a sign sign that reads "NUCLEAR WEAPON BAN TREATY". REUTERS Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests A man is removed from the joint press conference in Helsinki. Security removed the man after he pulled out a sign that read "NUCLEAR WEAPON BAN TREATY". REUTERS Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests President Trump and Russia's President Putin sit for a working lunch in Finland's Presidential Palace AFP/Getty Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests President Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki Reuters

The Iranian leader said that war between the two countries would be "the mother of all wars".

Mr Trump took the dramatic step earlier this year to remove the United States from the Iranian nuclear agreement, saying then that he did not believe the Iranians were complying with the specifics of the deal and saying that staying in the agreement was out of the question because Iran had tested ballistic missiles — a subject that was not addressed in the original agreement.

In removing the US from that deal, Mr Trump was taking yet another step to destroy a signature accomplishment of his predecessor, President Barack Obama, who had focused on limiting Iran's nuclear advances through diplomacy.

But, while America's withdrawal from that deal signalled the potential for a collapse of the deal entirely, other countries have stepped up to support the deal and keep it together. Mr Trump said before withdrawing that he was open to renegotiating the deal so that it would more thoroughly inhibit Iran and its ability to develop deadly weapons.

If Mr Trump were to speak with the Iranian leadership, if you not be the first time he has met with figures that many in his party - and indeed, among Democrats, consider pariahs.