US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States was holding discussions with Iran as the war in the Middle East enters its third week, though he indicated Tehran was not yet ready to reach a deal to end the conflict.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump confirmed that contacts were taking place but declined to provide details about the nature of the discussions.
“Yes, we’re talking to them,” Trump said when asked whether diplomacy was underway to stop the conflict that has shaken global markets and spread across the region.
“But I don’t think they’re ready. But they are getting pretty close,” he added.
Trump also said he was uncertain whether he wanted to finalise a deal at this stage, noting that much of Iran’s leadership had been killed since the start of the conflict.
“First of all nobody even knows who you’re dealing with, because most of their leadership has been killed,” he said.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and dozens of other officials were reported killed on the first day of the US-Israeli attacks on February 28, which triggered the ongoing war.
Despite his remarks, Trump insisted that Iran was eager to reach an agreement.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied that negotiations with the United States were taking place.
“We are stable and strong enough. We are only defending our people,” Araghchi said in an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation broadcast on Sunday.
He added that Tehran saw no reason to hold talks with Washington.
“We don’t see any reason why we should talk with Americans, because we were talking with them when they decided to attack us,” he said. “There is no good experience talking with Americans.”
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