Trump says Iran wants to reopen talks after deadly operation: 'They should have done it sooner'
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump said Iran’s leaders are now seeking renewed talks with the United States following the attack that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Trump argued that Tehran could have avoided the strike if it had agreed to a deal earlier, adding that several Iranian officials who were part of past negotiations are no longer alive after the attack.
Trump says he agreed to talk with Iran after it sought to resume negotiations
One day after the US-Israel strikes in Iran killed Ali Khamenei and escalated tensions in the region, President Donald Trump said Iran’s new leadership wants to reopen talks, and he plans to speak with them.
“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” Trump told Michael Scherer of The Atlantic in a phone call from his Mar-a-Lago resort on Sunday, March 1. “They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long.”
When asked if the conversation would happen today or tomorrow, the commander-in-chief said, “I can’t tell you that.” He also noted that some of the Iranian officials involved in recent 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,” he said.
Trump reiterated, "They should have done it sooner, Michael. They could have made a deal. They should’ve done it sooner. They played too cute."
Trump says people are celebrating after deadly strike in Iran
Further in the phone interview, the staff writer asked Donald Trump whether he would extend the bombing campaign in Iran to support a popular uprising if one unfolded.
“Will they continue to get support if it takes some time to overthrow the regime?” Scherer asked. Trump avoided a direct answer. “I have to look at the situation at the time it happens, Michael. You can’t give an answer to that question,” he said.
Trump expressed confidence that a successful uprising is coming. He pointed to celebrations in the streets of Iran and gatherings of expatriate Iranians in New York and Los Angeles. “That is going to happen. You are seeing that, and I think it’s gonna happen. A lot of people are extremely happy over there and in Los Angeles and in many other places,” he shared.
The Republican leader said he was encouraged by the Iranian people’s reaction so far. “Knowing it’s very dangerous, knowing I’ve told everybody to stay in place—I think it’s a very dangerous place right now,” he expressed. “The people over there are shouting in the streets with happiness, but at the same time, there are a lot of bombs coming down.”
For years, the US intelligence community has tracked and disrupted Iranian-led assassination plots against US officials, including Trump, inside the US. The reporter asked Trump whether he had seen any signs of renewed Iranian threats against the US homeland since the start of the attack. “I don’t want to tell you that,” he replied.
