Nuclear deal: Trump wants ‘direct talks’ with Iran

US President Donald Trump said he wanted "direct talks" with Tehran on a nuclear deal, after he threatened to bomb Iran if it develops nuclear weapons.

Trump has given Iran's leaders a two-month deadline to reach an agreement on the country's nuclear program, which has strained relations with Western nations for decades.

Western countries including the United States have long accused Iran of pursuing a nuclear weapon, which Tehran has denied, insisting its enrichment activities were solely for peaceful purposes.

"I think it's better if we have direct talks," he told reporters onboard the presidential plane Air Force One on Thursday.

"I think it goes faster and you understand the other side a lot better than if you go through intermediaries."

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said last week that Tehran would not engage in direct talks with Washington "until there is a change in the other side's approach towards the Islamic republic".