As the West Asia war entered its 27th day, US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran was “on its knees" and desperate for a deal but unable to say so publicly due to “fear of being killed".
Speaking at a Republican fundraiser in Washington on Wednesday night, Trump said Iran was negotiating but afraid to admit it openly.
“They are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly, but they’re afraid to say it because they figure they’ll be killed by their own people. They’re also afraid they’ll be killed by us," he said.
Trump also made a striking claim that Iran’s leadership had informally suggested he become the country’s next supreme leader, an idea he said he rejected.
“We’d like to make you the next supreme leader. No, thank you, I don’t want it," he said, adding, “There’s never been a head of a country that wanted that job less than being the head of Iran."
However, despite Trump’s remarks, Iran has denied that any negotiations are taking place to end the nearly month-long war.
The comments come amid uncertainty in Iran’s leadership following the killing of Ali Khamenei last month. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was elevated as Supreme Leader but has not appeared in public since the war began, with reports suggesting he was injured in the attacks.
Trump described US actions against Iran as a “military decimation" and again claimed victory. He also said backchannel talks were progressing and insisted Iran was eager for a ceasefire but holding back due to fears of internal consequences.