The President of the United States, Donald Trump, asserted that the new Iranian leadership seeks to resume discussions with Washington following the joint military offensive with Israel and stated that he agreed to engage in dialogue.
In a telephone interview granted to the news portal The Atlantic, the president stated that the Iranian authorities "want to talk, and I have agreed to do so, so I will talk to them."
The conversation took place a day after the attacks that resulted in the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and part of the regime's leadership.
Trump stated that Iran took too long to try to reach an agreement.
“They should have done it earlier. They should have done what was very easy to do before. They waited too long,” he said to the American media from his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
When asked about when the new talks might begin, the president refrained from providing details.
He also noted that several of the Iranian officials involved in negotiations in recent weeks are no longer alive following the bombings.
In previous statements shared on social media, Trump urged the Iranian population to seize the moment to change the country's political direction once the military campaign is over.
However, when asked by The Atlantic whether the United States would extend the attacks to support a potential internal uprising, he responded that he would assess the situation when the time came.
The president expressed confidence that changes will occur in the Iranian political landscape and claimed to have observed signs of support in various cities.
At the same time, he acknowledged that the situation is dangerous due to the ongoing bombings.
The interview was made public shortly before U.S. military officials confirmed the deaths of three soldiers in the operation and serious injuries to five others, marking the first recognized casualties by Washington since the onset of the offensive.
In parallel with the military front, Trump argued that the campaign will not affect the economic performance of the United States and downplayed the potential impact on oil prices, despite the volatility caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
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