'I'd be honored to meet with him': Trump assures willingness to meet with ayatollah if peace deals are reached

President Donald Trump assured on Thursday from the Oval Office that he would be willing to meet with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, if the ongoing negotiations to end the war between the two countries lead to an agreement. The Republican leader's words came after Fox News journalist Peter Doocy asked if there could be tensions between him and the new Iranian leader following the U.S. military campaign against the Persian nation.

"I don't want to meet, but if I did meet, I'd be honored to meet him. I'd like to see if we make a deal, but if we make a deal, it's possible I would meet him. I'd be OK with that," Trump said, who, when asked about the possibility of lingering resentment, acknowledged that he may not be viewed favorably by the ayatollah, asserting, "I would say I'm not his favorite person, but with that being said, he's probably a professional." Similarly, the Republican leader commented that Khamenei enjoys significant respect in certain quarters, adding, "In some circles he has a very good reputation, actually."

Trump's remarks came a day after the House of Representatives passed a resolution to limit the president's war powers against Iran, in what has represented a significant political setback for the Republican leader after four GOP members broke ranks and joined Democrats to push the measure through by a 215-208 vote.

The armed conflict between Iran and the United States, which erupted in late February after Trump ordered an attack on the Islamic theocracy's top leadership, has shifted from an intense bombing campaign to a shaky cease-fire as the two countries jockey for control of the Strait of Hormuz. The negotiators, for the moment, remain estranged over the future of Iran's nuclear program, and clashes have escalated in recent days amid the U.S. blockade of the Iranian regime's ports.