Trump Claims Iran Seeks Talks Following Supreme Leader's Assassination
Donald Trump stated on Sunday that Iran is eager to engage in negotiations following a series of military strikes by U.S. and Israeli forces that resulted in the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. The comments were made during an interview with The Atlantic.
These remarks came just a day after the bombing campaign commenced, with reports indicating that much of Iran's governmental structure, including President Mahmoud Pezeshkian, remains operational.
In his conversation with Michael Sherer from The Atlantic, Trump confirmed his willingness to resume discussions with Iranian officials, saying, “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them.”
“They should have done it sooner,” he continued. “What was very practical and easy to do should have been done earlier. They waited too long.”
Trump noted that many Iranian officials who participated in previous negotiations are no longer alive. “Most of those people are gone. Some of the people we were dealing with are gone, because that was a big — that was a big hit. They should have done it sooner, Michael. They could have made a deal. They should’ve done it sooner. They played too cute.”
However, Iran's foreign ministry has yet to confirm any plans to resume negotiations with the U.S. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the U.S. of sabotaging potential talks with the recent military actions.
During an appearance on ABC’s This Week, Araghchi informed host George Stephanopoulos that the selection process for a new supreme leader is already in motion, while asserting Iran's “legitimate right” to defend itself against U.S. forces.
The conflict has resulted in significant casualties across Iran since it began early Saturday morning, including a tragic incident at a girls’ school where 148 fatalities have been reported, which Iranian officials have condemned as a “massacre.” The U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign has specifically targeted high-ranking Iranian commanders, leaving some units of the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) isolated from their command structure, according to Araghchi.
U.S. officials met with Iranian diplomats led by Araghchi in Geneva on Thursday. Despite two lengthy sessions, Axios reports that both sides remain far apart on critical issues. The Trump administration's team, including Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, presented a stringent list of demands that included the cessation of Iranian uranium enrichment and the transfer of all enriched uranium to U.S. control in exchange for limited sanctions relief.
Among the demands was the permanent destruction of three Iranian nuclear sites targeted by the Trump administration last summer: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. These facilities are believed to play crucial roles in the development of weapons-grade nuclear materials.
The White House previously claimed these sites were completely destroyed by U.S. airstrikes last year, raising questions about the necessity of their re-destruction. Additionally, Witkoff had stated last month that Iran was mere days away from developing a nuclear weapon. During his State of the Union address last Tuesday night, Trump accused Iran of attempting to revive its nuclear program.
In response to the U.S. strikes, Trump has called on Iranian citizens and the IRGC to overthrow their government through social media channels; however, there is currently no indication that the Iranian government is facing imminent collapse.
