Jerusalem, Oct 13 : US President Donald Trump on Monday expressed Washington's willingness to strike a nuclear deal with Iran when Tehran is ready for it. He added that it will be the "best decision" that Iran has "ever made" and that it is going to happen.

In his address at the Israeli Knesset on Monday, Trump said, "They (Iran) want to make a deal and we're going to see if we can do something because this is crazy what's happening and we're not going to have this anymore. Neither the United States nor Israel bear the people of Iran any hostility. We merely want to live in peace. We don't want any looming threats over our heads and we don't want to even think in terms of nuclear destruction. It's not going to happen, never will happen.

"There's nothing that would do more good for this part of the world than for Iran's leaders to renounce terrorists, stop threatening their neighbours, quit funding their militant proxies and finally recognise Israel's right to existence. They have to do that. They have to do that. And to Iran, and as you know, this is not said out of weakness. There's no weakness. But I'm going to say this that we are ready when you are. And it will be the best decision that Iran has ever made and it's going to happen. It's going to happen," he added.

Trump said that US dropped 14 bombs on Iran's key nuclear facilities and reiterated his claim that Iran was about two months away from having a nuclear weapon. He said that Iran is not starting nuclear programme again and said that "they want to survive."

"We dropped 14 bombs on Iran's key nuclear facilities, totally, as I said, originally obliterating them, and that's been confirmed, and everybody understands it. Together, we stopped the number one state sponsor of terror from obtaining the world's most dangerous weapons. And if you think about it, if we didn't do that, and assuming we made the same deal that we have today, there'd be a dark cloud over this deal. And number one, it wouldn't happen because the other Arab and Muslim nations really wouldn't feel comfortable making the deal that we have now, right?

"If Iran had that nuclear weapon that they were about two months away from having, they would have had it in two months or maybe less than that. They were right at this was our last shot. They looked at it for 22 years. This was our last shot. The pilots told me that. They said 22 years, sir. They looked at it. Our predecessors looked, they studied it three times a year. We do drills on that exact attack. And boy, did they get it right. But let's assume they didn't. And let's assume there was large-scale nuclear weapons in the hands of Iran, we couldn't be here today," Trump added.

He said that he wants to get a deal done with Iran but he wants his team to first focus on Russia. He called it an exciting time for Israel and entire Middle East as the "forces of chaos, terror, and ruin that have plagued the region for decades now stand weakened, isolated, and totally defeated." The US President said that a new coalition of "proud and responsible nations is emerging."

"Even if we signed the deal, which we couldn't do because a lot of people would not want to have anything to do with it, we took a big cloud off of the Middle East and off Israel and it was my honour to help. But it isn't it true though that can you imagine the same let's assume BB the same documents we had everything the same, but you had somebody out there that was in the opinion of everybody all powerful in the Middle East. They took a big hit, didn't they? Didn't they take a big hit? Boy, oh boy. They got it from one side, from the other. And you know, it would be great if we could make a peace deal with them. And I think that's maybe, would you be happy with that? Wouldn't it be nice? I think they want to. I think they're tired.

"Somebody said, 'Sir, they're starting their nuclear programme again.' I said, 'Let me tell you something. They're not starting anything. They want to survive. The last thing they want to do is start digging holes again in mountains that just got blown up and start they're not doing. They want to survive. Okay. But I think we have a chance. Steve, you and I think Jared, come on. I'll call you back for another one. We always bring Jared when we want to get that deal closed. We bring Jared. But Steve, you and Jared and the general and Pete and Marco, you'll get that deal done easy. I think that'll be easy. But first, we have to get Russia done. We got to get that one done. If you don't mind, Steve, let's focus on Russia first. All right. We'll get it done," he added.

/IANS