Trump says US will know ‘in about a week’ on Iran deal: ‘There has been total regime change’
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump revealed that the United States will know within a week whether Iran’s parliament speaker is willing to engage with his administration, signaling a potentially pivotal moment in US-Iran relations.
In an interview with the New York Post, Trump added that he plans to respond “shortly” to Iran’s recent attack on Israel’s largest oil refinery, while pressing Iran’s leadership to come to the negotiating table.
Trump signals shift with Iran’s new leadership
Trump said the US will soon know if Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is willing to work with Washington.
When asked about Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf working with the US, Trump shared, "We’re gonna find out. I’ll let you know that in about a week.”
Trump also said Iran’s old leadership has been replaced by new figures, whom he described as easier to deal with.
“There has been total regime change because the regimes of the past are gone, and we’re dealing with a whole new set of people,” Trump told the outlet. “And thus far, they’ve been much more reasonable.”
Iran stepped up its attacks by hitting a water and power plant in Kuwait, while a missile strike also set an oil refinery on fire in the northern Israeli city of Haifa.
When asked how he would respond, Trump said, “You’ll see shortly.” Trump was also asked whether the current leaders were different from past US rivals in Tehran, to which he responded bluntly: “Pretty much,” he said. “The other people are all dead."
Trump questions health of Iran’s leader Mojtaba Khamenei
Meanwhile, Ghalibaf responded on social media, warning against any attack on Iran’s infrastructure.
“The enemy promotes its desires as news while threatening our nation at the same time. Big mistake. If they hit one, they’ll take several back. God willing, the people of Iran, under the leadership of the Supreme Leader, will make the enemy regret the aggression and reclaim their rights,” he wrote.
Trump also raised questions about the health of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The younger Khamenei has not appeared in public since US and Israeli attacks began on February 28.
“Nobody’s heard from him,” Trump told the Post, adding that US intelligence believes he may be seriously injured. “He’s very seriously injured.” When asked if Mojtaba Khamenei is still alive, Trump said, “We don’t know. We think probably yes, but in extraordinarily bad shape.”
Several top Iranian leaders, including the ayatollah, the defense minister, the country’s chief security official, and the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, have died during the US-Israeli bombing campaign. Other senior military and intelligence figures have also been killed.
Trump’s decision to give Ghalibaf a week to respond may relate to his April 6 deadline for Iran to reach a peace deal with the US. It is unclear how safe the Iranian speaker is or whether he is a target. His remarks came as the war reached 30 days, with Trump originally setting a four-to-six-week window for the conflict to end.
