Las Vegas, Aug. 5 -- US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) said the United States was "doing the same thing" in Iran as it had done in Venezuela, while asserting that Washington would prefer to reach a deal with Tehran but would not allow the country to develop nuclear weapons.

Addressing a gathering in Las Vegas, Trump said the US had weakened Iran through recent military action but remained open to negotiations.

"In Venezuela, it was a 48-minute war, and we paid for the war with what we've taken out...to the victor belongs the spoils, and we are doing the same thing in the lovely Islamic Republic of Iran. We are knocking the hell out of them. I would rather make a deal, because I do not want to kill people," Trump said....