US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran is attempting to negotiate with Washington even as American military operations against the country continue.
Speaking at the White House as the war in the Middle East remained far from a conceivable ceasefire, he said Iranian officials had been reaching out to US representatives but suggested that it was unclear whether Tehran was ready to agree to a deal.
“They want to make a deal. They’re talking to our people,” Trump said, while cautioning that negotiations remain uncertain. “But I don’t know if they’re ready yet. They’re taking a pounding,” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The leader also asserted that Iran’s covert machinery has been circulating fabricated visuals using artificial intelligence (AI) to portray damage that did not actually occur.
“Don’t forget, they are a country that for years has been based on disinformation, and now they’re using disinformation plus AI. That’s a terrible situation,” he said.
According to Trump, manipulated visuals circulating online falsely showed buildings burning across multiple cities in the Middle East.
“They showed all sorts of things happening in the last two weeks that never happened,” he said. “They showed buildings in Tel Aviv burning to the ground, high rises burning. They showed buildings in Qatar. They showed buildings in Saudi Arabia burning — and they weren’t burning. It was all AI. It’s terrible.”
FRUSTRATION WITH ALLIES OVER HORMUZ
Trump also voiced frustration with those allies of the US who have been reluctant to send naval assets to help escort tankers through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
“Some are very enthusiastic about it, and some aren’t,” Trump said, noting that several nations benefiting from US security support were hesitant to participate. “We have some countries where we have 45,000 soldiers protecting them from harm’s way,” he said.
“And when we want to know, ‘Do you have any mine sweepers?’ ‘Well, we’d rather not get involved, sir.'”
The president described the potential escort mission as “very minor,” even as tensions over the narrow waterway remain high.
‘US SPARED IRAN OIL FACILITIES’
Trump also claimed that US forces had heavily damaged infrastructure on Kharg Island but deliberately avoided targeting Iran’s oil facilities.
“We attacked Kharg Island and literally destroyed everything on the island except for the area where the oil is — I call it the pipes,” he said. “We left the pipes. We didn’t want to do that, but we can do that on five minutes notice,” Trump added, suggesting the facilities could be targeted later if necessary.
UNCERTAINTY OVER IRAN’S LEADERSHIP
Trump also claimed that several groups of Iranian leaders had been eliminated during the conflict, leaving uncertainty about who currently holds actual authority in Tehran.
“We don’t even know their leaders. All of their leaders are dead as far as we know,” Trump said. He suggested successive leadership groups had been replaced after being targeted during the conflict.
“We knocked out the first group. Then the second group met and picked the leader because the first group was all dead. And the second group got knocked out,’ he said. “Then a third group met We don’t know who their leader is. We have people wanting to negotiate. We have no idea who they are.”
CLAIMS ABOUT IRAN’S NEW LEADER
Trump also said he was unsure about the condition of Iran’s newly announced Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, noting that he has yet to appear publicly.
“A lot of people are saying that he’s badly disfigured other people are saying he’s dead,” Trump said. “Nobody’s saying he’s 100% healthy.”
“We don’t know if he’s dead or not. Nobody’s seen him, which is unusual,” the president added.
TRUMP DISMISSES NUCLEAR FEAR
Addressing speculation about an unprecedented escalation, Trump said he did not believe Israel would use nuclear weapons in the conflict. “Israel wouldn’t do that. Israel would never do that,” he said, adding that the US and Israel remain closely coordinated in their military operations.
“The relationship has been very good. The militaries are very well coordinated,” Trump said.
(With inputs from agencies)
