US President Donald Trump has asserted that Iran is “totally defenceless” and has initiated contact for negotiations amidst heightened tensions in the Middle East.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, the US President made several claims regarding Iran’s military capabilities and alleged diplomatic overtures. Without presenting any supporting evidence, Trump stated, “Iran has no air defence whatsoever. They are totally defenceless.”
He further added that Iranian officials had reached out, suggesting a visit to the White House. “They want to negotiate,” Trump claimed, questioning why Tehran hadn’t sought talks earlier, prior to “all this death and destruction.”
The President’s comments come amidst mounting speculation about a potential American strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. When directly questioned about the imminence of such an operation, Trump remained non-committal, stating, “I may do it, I may not do it. Nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
Labeling the conflict as “so stupid,” Trump reiterated his demand for an “unconditional surrender” from Iran, warning that such a move would be followed by American forces targeting and destroying nuclear infrastructure across the country.
“For 40 years, they’ve been saying ‘death to America, death to Israel’ – they were schoolyard bullies,” Trump remarked. “And now they’re not bullies anymore. But we’ll see what happens.”
Despite his aggressive tone, the President acknowledged that the situation remains unresolved. “I wouldn’t say that we won anything yet, but we’ve made a lot of progress,” he noted, hinting that developments in the coming week could prove decisive.
Iran’s Khamenei Rejects Trump’s Call for Unconditional Surrender
Earlier, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a statement read by a television presenter on Wednesday, declared that his country will not accept US President Donald Trump’s demand for an unconditional surrender.
In his first public remarks since Friday, when he delivered a speech broadcast on state media following Israel’s bombardment of Iran, Khamenei emphasized that peace or war cannot be imposed on the Islamic Republic.
“Intelligent people who know Iran, the Iranian nation, and its history will never speak to this nation in threatening language because the Iranian nation will not surrender,” he stated.
He further warned, “The Americans should know that any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage.”
Thousands of people were reported to be fleeing Tehran on Wednesday after Israeli warplanes bombed the city overnight. A source indicated that Trump was considering options, including joining Israel in attacking Iranian nuclear sites.
Israel’s military confirmed that 50 Israeli jets struck approximately 20 targets in Tehran overnight, including sites involved in producing raw materials, components, and manufacturing systems for missiles.
