WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he prefers to solve the Iran confrontation through diplomacy.
"We are in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven't heard those secret words, 'We will never have a nuclear weapon,'" Trump said when delivering the first State of the Union address of his second term to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
"My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy," Trump said. "But one thing is certain -- I will never allow ... Iran to have a nuclear weapon."
Meanwhile, the president accused Iran of "again pursuing their sinister ambitions," saying Iran's missile program could threaten U.S. troops deployed in the region and eventually the United States.
"They've already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they're working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America," Trump said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would "under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon," reiterating longstanding government positions, according to media reports reaching here.
Iran is determined to reach a "fair and equitable" deal with the United States as soon as possible, Araghchi said in a social media post.
The two sides have a "historic opportunity" to strike an unprecedented agreement that addresses mutual concerns and achieves common interests, Araghchi said, adding that a deal was "within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority."
A new round of U.S.-Iran talks is now scheduled for Thursday in Geneva and expected to focus on Iran's nuclear program, including uranium enrichment levels and sanctions relief.
However, the previous two rounds of indirect talks made little visible progress. Many analysts say the upcoming one is likely the last diplomatic opportunity before a U.S.-Israeli large-scale joint military operation that could directly target Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The U.S. administration has been deploying massive military forces in the Middle East. Trump warned on Monday that he would rather reach a deal with Iran, but if one is not reached, "it will be a very bad day" for the country, referring to a potential U.S. strike. ■