Trump makes big claims, says Iran ‘wants to talk’ but it’s ‘too late’
US President Donald Trump claimed on Truth Social that Iran is seeking negotiations even as the war in the Middle East escalates into its fourth day.
The United States and Israel pressed on with their campaign against Iran, an operation that began on 28 February and has so far claimed hundreds of lives, among them Ali Khamenei and several senior figures within Tehran’s political and military establishment.
“Their air defense, Air Force, Navy, and Leadership is gone. They want to talk. I said ‘Too Late!’” he wrote, asserting that the United States can sustain military operations well beyond the initially projected four-to-five-week window.
US strikes have continued across Tehran, where explosions echoed through Monday night and into early Tuesday. The conflict intensified after American forces, working with Israel, launched extensive attacks on Iran following the killing of Ali Khamenei on Saturday. Tehran and its regional allies have retaliated by targeting Israel, Gulf nations, and critical energy infrastructure across the region.
Questions remain over the broader objectives of Washington and Jerusalem, with neither providing a clear endgame for the rapidly widening conflict.
Mixed messaging on war aims
Officials in both the United States and Israel have offered differing explanations of what they intend to achieve. The absence of a unified strategy has raised concerns among analysts that the confrontation could stretch into a long and unpredictable war with major geopolitical and economic implications.
Late Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the offensive, telling Fox News Channel’s Hannity that Iran was constructing “new sites, new places” designed to shield its ballistic-missile and nuclear programmes “within months.” He offered no evidence to support the claim.
Satellite imagery reveals limited activity at nuclear sites
Satellite photos showed only limited movement at two nuclear facilities in Iran prior to the latest wave of strikes. Analysts suggested Tehran may have been evaluating earlier American attacks carried out in June and attempting to salvage what remained at the affected locations.
(With AP inputs)