Trump says Iranians reached out but it’s ‘very late to be talking’

US President Donald Trump said he was considering Wednesday whether the United States will join Israeli strikes on Iran and said that Tehran had reached out to seek negotiations on ending the conflict.

Speaking as he watched installation of a new flagpole at the White House, Trump added that his patience “had already run out” with Iran and repeated his call for the Islamic republic’s “unconditional surrender.”

“I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do,” Trump told reporters on the South Lawn when asked if he had decided whether to launch US air strikes.

“I can tell you this, that Iran’s got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate.”

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Trump said Iran had even suggested sending officials to the White House for talks on Tehran’s nuclear program in a bid to end Israel’s air assault, but added that it was “very late.”

“I said it’s very late to be talking. We may meet. There’s a big difference between now and a week ago, right? Big difference,” Trump added.

“They’ve suggested that they come to the White House. That’s, you know, courageous, but it’s, like, not easy for them to do.”

When asked if it was too late for negotiations, he said: “Nothing is too late.”

Trump had favored diplomatic route to end Iran’s nuclear program, seeking a deal to replace the one he tore up in his first term in 2018.

But since Israel launched strikes on Iran six days ago Trump has moved in behind the key US ally and is now weighing whether to use US military power against Tehran too.

Trump issued a series of bellicose statements on social media on Tuesday, saying that Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was an “easy target” and calling for Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”.

Asked on Wednesday what he meant by his earlier statement, Trump replied: “Two very simple words. It’s very simple — unconditional surrender.”

“That means I’ve had it, okay? I’ve had it. I give up, no more, we go and blow up all the nuclear stuff that’s all over the place,” Trump said.

Trump meanwhile backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netahyahu to continue Israel’s offensive against Iran. Iran has hit back with salvos of ballistic missiles.

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Asked what he had told Netanyahu in a call on Tuesday, he said: “Keep going. I speak to him every day, he’s a good man, doing a lot.”

The US president however rebuffed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to mediate in the Israel-Iran conflict, saying Russia should end its own war in Ukraine first.

“He actually offered to help mediate, I said ‘do me a favor, mediate your own. Let’s mediate Russia first, okay? You can worry about this later,” Trump said.

Iran later denied it had offered to send officials to Washington.

“No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House,” Iran’s mission to the UN said in a post on X.

“The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to “take out” Iran’s Supreme Leader.”

The US military said it is “prepared to execute” any decision President Donald Trump might make on matters of war and peace, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday, even as he declined to confirm preparations of strike options on Iran.

“If and when those decisions are made, the Department (of Defense) is prepared to execute them,” Hegseth told the Senate Armed Services Committee

Meanwhile, Iranians jammed the highways out of the capital Tehran fleeing from intensified Israeli airstrikes.

Read More: Why is Iran’s Fordow nuclear site in Israel’s crosshairs?

In the latest bombing, Israel said its air force destroyed the headquarters of Iran’s internal security service. “As we promised – we will continue to strike at symbols of governance and hit the Ayatollah regime wherever it may be,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said.

The Iranian Red Crescent said Wednesday that an Israeli attack took place near its building in Tehran, on the sixth day of an air war between Iran and Israel, noting that the strike appeared to not be targeting the aid group.

In a statement on its Telegram channel, the Red Crescent reporting an “attack by the Zionist regime near the Red Crescent Peace building.”

Earlier, Khamenei, 86, rebuked Trump in a recorded speech played on television, his first appearance since Friday.

He warned the United States and Israel of “irreparable damage” if they continue military provocations against the Islamic Republic.

Khamenei said the Iranian nation “will never be subdued” and that any attempt at foreign military intervention would be met with full force. He declared that Iran’s armed forces are prepared to defend the country and enjoy the full backing of the government.

“The Zionist regime made a grave mistake and will face consequences,” Khamenei said, referring to recent violations of Iranian airspace. “Iran will not forgive this breach and our people will not remain silent.”

He added that Iran would respond with strength to both “imposed war” and “imposed peace”, saying the nation would not bow to threats or coercion.

“The blood of our martyrs will not be forsaken,” he said, warning that wise leaders should avoid speaking to Iran “in a threatening tone” as history shows the Iranian people resist domination.

Regional tensions have escalated since Friday, when Israel launched airstrikes on multiple sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.

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A Washington-based human rights organisation had reported Wednesday that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes across Tehran and other populated areas has risen to around 585 killed with at least 1,326 people injured since the attacks started last week.

Israeli authorities said at least 24 people have been killed and 804 injured since Iranian missile attacks struck 40 different locations acrosss Israeli territory.

IRGC launches ‘advanced weapons’

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) earlier announced that the country had carried out fresh strikes on Israeli targets, utilising its newly developed Fattah-1 hypersonic missiles

The IRGC’s statement emphasised that the Fattah-1 missile had successfully penetrated Israeli air defense systems, delivering a powerful blow to the occupying regime.

The missile’s high speed and maneuverability reportedly allowed it to bypass advanced defense mechanisms, underscoring Iran’s technological advancements in missile technology.

The IRGC’s statement concluded with a stern warning to Israel and its allies, indicating that any retaliatory actions would be met with decisive responses.

Iran fired over 400 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones since June 13, the Israeli Government Press Office said in a statement.

Read More: Trump demands Tehran’s ‘unconditional surrender’ as Israel-Iran air war continues

The Iranian attacks resulted in over 40 confirmed impact sites, the office said, without specifying the exact locations.

Israeli media confirmed that the latest salvoes set off air raid sirens across the country, including in the Tel Aviv region, where explosions and fires were witnessed.

Simultaneously, explosions were also reported in Tehran and Karaj, located west of the capital.

Iran’s armed forces stated on June 17 that their air defense systems remain operational, tracking and intercepting 28 “hostile aircraft” within 24 hours, including a spy drone attempting to gather intelligence on “sensitive” locations.

These developments come in light of Trump declaring that the US now holds “complete and total control of the skies over Iran.”

Additional American fighter jets have reportedly been deployed to the Middle East as tensions surge.