Donald Trump has said he will be involved "indirectly" in talks between Iran and the United States, which are set to begin in Geneva later on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, the US president added that he believed Iran wanted to reach an agreement on its nuclear program, the Telegraph reports.
The second round of talks in Switzerland comes after repeated military threats against Iran over the country's deadly crackdown on anti-government protests, and the ongoing dispute over its nuclear program.
On Monday, the Foreign Ministry in Tehran said it believed the US stance on the nuclear issue had shifted towards "a more realistic stance."
Iran says Tuesday's meeting, brokered by Oman, will focus on its nuclear program and the possible lifting of economic sanctions imposed by the United States. Washington has previously indicated it wants to discuss other issues, such as Iran's missile stockpiles.
Describing the talks as "very important," Trump suggested that Tehran was motivated this time to negotiate.
"I don't think they want the consequences of not making a deal," Trump said, adding that Iran learned the consequences of a tough stance in talks last summer when the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites.
"We could have made a deal instead of sending the B-2s to eliminate their nuclear potential. And we had to send the B-2s. I hope they will be more reasonable," Trump said, referring to the stealth bombers that carried out the bombings.
The president's threats come amid a US military buildup in the Middle East over the past few weeks.
BBC Verify has now confirmed the location of the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln near Iran, using satellite imagery.
The US is also said to have sent the USS Gerald R Ford, the world's largest warship, to the Middle East, which could arrive in the region within the next three weeks.
In addition to the arrival of the Abraham Lincoln, BBC Verify has also tracked a surge of US destroyers, warships and fighter jets in the region.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met with the UN nuclear watchdog's chief on Monday, saying in a post on X that he was in Geneva to "reach a fair and equitable agreement."
"What is not on the table: submission to threats," Araqchi said.
Iran has responded to the US buildup with its own show of force. On Monday, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) troops launched a naval exercise in the Strait of Hormuz, located in the Persian Gulf between Oman and Iran.
The strait is considered a vital international waterway and oil export route from the Gulf Arab states.
The White House said Sunday that Washington has sent Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said reaching a deal with Tehran would be "very difficult".
"I think there is an opportunity here to reach a diplomatic agreement... but I don't want to exaggerate that either. It will be difficult," Rubio said during a visit to Hungary on Monday. /Telegraph/
