Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Mar 3: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Iran now wants negotiations but it is “too late”, as hostilities between the US-Israel coalition and Tehran continue to escalate across West Asia.
“Their air defense, Air Force, Navy, and Leadership is gone. They want to talk. I said, ‘Too Late!’” Trump wrote on Truth Social while commenting on an opinion piece.
The United States and Israel have continued military operations against Iran since February 28. The strikes have resulted in hundreds of deaths, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior political and military officials.
Iran has retaliated with missile and drone attacks, widening the conflict zone and targeting US assets in the region. Iranian drones struck the US embassy in Saudi Arabia, causing minor damage and triggering a fire, after a similar strike on the US mission in Kuwait. In response, Washington shut the affected missions and ordered non-emergency government personnel and their families to leave multiple countries in the region.
Tehran has also launched missiles and drones at neighbouring Arab states and threatened shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage for nearly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade.
According to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, at least 787 people have been killed in Iran since the start of the conflict. In Israel, Iranian missile strikes have killed 11 people. The Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah has also attacked Israel, with retaliatory Israeli strikes reportedly killing 52 people in Lebanon.
Trump’s latest remarks appear to contrast with his earlier comments in an interview with The Atlantic magazine on Sunday, where he said Iran’s new leadership wanted to engage in talks and that he had agreed.
“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner. They waited too long,” Trump had said from his Florida residence, without specifying who he would speak to or when the talks would take place.
The situation remains fluid as both sides continue military operations and diplomatic signals.