Donald Trump said he would be honored to meet with Iran's new supreme leader if the meeting helped secure a deal [1].

The statement suggests a potential shift toward direct diplomatic engagement with Tehran. Such a meeting could signal a willingness to negotiate new terms for economic or security agreements between the U.S. and Iran.

Trump made the comments during a televised interview on June 4, 2026 [2]. The remarks were reported by several news outlets and featured in a video from Euronews [3].

"I would be honored to meet with the new Ayatollah if it helps us get a deal," Trump said [1].

In other reports of the interview, Trump said he would be honored to meet with the new Ayatollah if a deal is reached [4]. This openness to dialogue comes as the U.S. and Iran navigate a new leadership dynamic in Tehran.

Trump's willingness to meet the religious leader indicates that he views personal diplomacy as a primary tool for achieving a resolution. He said that the meeting would be contingent on the prospect of a formal agreement [1].

One report from the Daily Star suggested the comment occurred three months after Trump's family died [5]. However, other major reporting outlets did not mention this detail or the timing relative to such an event [4].

“"I would be honored to meet with the new Ayatollah if it helps us get a deal."”

This development marks a pivot toward high-level personal diplomacy. By conditioning a meeting on the possibility of a deal, Trump is leveraging the prospect of legitimacy for the new Supreme Leader to extract specific diplomatic or economic concessions from the Iranian government.