Anchor: Wrapping up his engagements at the Group of Seven summit in France, U.S. President Donald Trump hinted that he could employ with Iran the approach he has used with North Korea. Throughout the gathering, Trump highlighted the two countries with illicit nuclear ambitions have tremendous economic potential.
Kim Bum-soo has more

Report: U.S. President Donald Trump says Iran and North Korea have tremendous potential, touting the two should reach deals with the U.S.

During a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi at the G7 summit in the French city of Biarritz on Monday, Trump brought up Pyongyang and Tehran, whose nuclear ambitions the U.S. has tried to thwart.   

[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump]
"They have a great potential. Iran has great potential. You know who else has great potential? North Korea. Kim Jong-un. And under his leadership, North Korea has great potential. And I don't think North Korea wants to blow it. Because if they blow it, it won't be good."

At a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump reiterated the point.

[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump]
"He is a man with a country that has tremendous potential. You are in between China, Russia and South Korea. People want to get to South Korea. They've got to get there somehow and if they are going to do anything other than, essentially fly. They want to go through. So railroads and everything else. So many things want to happen there. I think that North Korea has tremendous economic potential and I think that Kim Jong-un sees that. He would be the leader and I think he sees the tremendous potential that it has got." 

While trying to persuade Pyongyang to quickly resume working-level talks, he hinted that the U.S. could take the approach it has taken with North Korea in dealing with Iran.

At a news conference wrapping up his engagements at the G7 summit, the American president said he could meet Iranian president Hassan Rouhani.

[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump] 
"Well, it does, I don't know the gentleman. I think that, I think I know him a little bit just by watching over the last number of years what's happened. Tell you one thing, he's a great negotiator. But he, I think he's going to want to meet. I think Iran wants to get this situation straightened out."

He said his "gut" tells him that the Iranian leader would want to meet him, adding the U.S.-led sanctions are absolutely hurting the economy of the Middle Eastern country.

In an interview with Iranian state TV on Tuesday, however, Rouhani appeared to contradict the U.S. president’s gut, at least for now, saying he would talk with Trump only if Washington removes sanctions on Tehran.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.

[Photo : KBS News]