Trump in Japan Assures U.S. Is Not Seeking ‘Regime Change’ in Iran

May 27, 2019 (EIRNS)—President Donald Trump, who is currently on a state visit to Japan, denied that his administration is seeking regime change in Iran. “I know so many people from Iran, these are great people. It has a chance to be a great country, with the same leadership. We are not looking for regime change, I just want to make that clear,” Trump said at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after their meeting today in Tokyo. “And I think we’ll make a deal. I think Iran—again, I think Iran has tremendous economic potential,” he said, according to the White House transcript.

The daily Yomiruri Shimbun reported that Trump and Prime Minister Abe discussed Abe’s upcoming visit to Iran in June where Abe offered to help mediate talks between Washington and Tehran and that Trump backed the idea. Kyodo News Agency writes that this visit will take place on June 12-14.

In the White House transcript of their remarks to the press before their meeting, Trump responded to a question about Abe’s offer to negotiate between the U.S. and Iran:

“I do believe that Iran would like to talk. And if they’d like to talk, we’d like to talk also. We’ll see what happens. But I know for a fact that the Prime Minister [Abe] is very close with the leadership of Iran, and we’ll see what happens. That would be fine. Nobody wants to see terrible things happen, especially me.”

In his remarks regarding North Korea, Trump said that he expected “lots of good things” despite recent missile launches by Pyongyang.

“I personally think that lots of good things will come with North Korea, I feel that. I may be right, I may be wrong, but I feel that,” reported the White House. “Lots of good things will come with North Korea.... We’ve come a long way.... There’s a good respect built—maybe a great respect built—between certainly the United States and North Korea.”

The President further stated there was “tremendous” imbalance in trade with Japan but said that it could be “worked out” as the pair negotiate a deal. “We are working on the imbalance of trade—there’s been a tremendous imbalance—and we are working on that. I’m sure that will work out over a period of time,” Trump told the media.