One day after a series of military strikes in Iran that resulted in the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Iranian leaders are interested in dialogue. He confirmed his willingness to engage in discussions with them.
In comments made to The Atlantic, Trump remarked, “They want to talk, and I agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done this earlier. They should have provided what was very practical and easy to execute before. They waited too long.”
When asked about the timing of any potential conversation with Iranian officials, Trump declined to provide specifics, stating, “I can’t tell you that.”
The President noted that some Iranian negotiators involved in recent discussions are no longer alive. He said, “Most of those people are gone. Some of the people we dealt with are no longer here because this was a significant… this was a significant strike. They should have done this earlier. They could have made a deal.”
In response to a question regarding the possibility of continued U.S. bombings in Iran, Trump indicated that he would need to assess the situation at the time it occurs.
Shortly after Trump’s remarks, U.S. military officials reported the deaths of three American service members during the operation, marking the first known U.S. casualties in the campaign.
President Trump has expressed a willingness to engage in dialogue with Iran following military strikes that killed a key Iranian leader. His comments come amid reports of U.S. military casualties, highlighting the complexities of the current situation.