Donald Trump has said that, despite Iran’s willingness for a ceasefire, he has refused
Donald Trump has turned down a ceasefire proposal put forward by Iran. Disregarding appeals for peace from the United Nations and world leaders, Trump stated that despite Iran’s readiness for a ceasefire, he had declined as the proposed deal wasn’t satisfactory enough.
“Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet,” he declared, adding that any conditions would need to be “very solid” for the US to consider negotiations. When questioned by NBC News about what terms he would accept to conclude the war, the 47th President of the United States responded: “I don’t want to say that to you.”
However, he did concede that Iran would need to abandon any remaining nuclear aspirations to secure a deal.
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He did inform NBC that the only power Iran possesses, “is the power of dropping a mine or shooting a relatively short-range missile”, reports the Mirror.
Trump added: “But when we get finished with the shoreline, they’re not going to have that power either.”
He later said: “We’ve knocked out most of their missiles. We’ve knocked out most of their drones. We knocked out their manufacturing of missiles and drones, largely. Within two days, it’ll be totally decimated.”
He also told the NBC that US airstrikes had “totally demolished” most of Iran’s Kharg Island, before gloating that the American military ” may hit it a few more times just for fun”.
Trump’s assertion that Iran has sought a ceasefire contradicts analysis from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a non-partisan, non-profit, public policy research organisation that promotes informed understanding of military matters through research, analysis, and education. According to the ISW: “Neither Iran nor the United States is prepared to hold discussions to reach a ceasefire despite mediation efforts by Oman and Egypt, according to Iranian, regional, and White House officials speaking to Reuters on March 14.”
In its summary of the conflict for March 14, the ISW added: “Three sources familiar with the efforts told Reuters that the Trump administration rejected efforts by Middle Eastern allies, including Oman and Egypt, to start diplomatic talks to end the war with Iran.”
Meanwhile, during the same NBC interview, Trump also stated he has been informed Iran’s new Supreme Leader is “not alive”.
Trump went on to say that should he be alive, he ought to surrender.
Trump’s remarks about Mojtaba Khamenei follow the recently appointed Ayatollah’s absence from a scheduled camera appearance before his nation on Thursday, which had been widely expected. Khamenei, son of the Islamic Republic’s previous supreme leader who shared the same name, was due to deliver his inaugural statement as leader.
However, Khamenei did not appear, sparking worldwide speculation regarding his location and physical condition.
Trump told NBC: “I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody’s been able to show him.”
He added: “I’m hearing he’s not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that’s surrender.”
An unidentified source based in the Iranian capital of Tehran claimed that Khamenei, 56, reportedly lost at least one leg and suffered serious abdominal or liver injuries following a strike by the US or Israel, according to The Sun.
The source offered extensive details concerning the new leader’s purported medical state, treatment, whereabouts and security measures. The source indicated he is being treated at Sina University Hospital in the city’s historic district, where a section has been cordoned off and placed under heavy guard.
Iranian state television has confirmed that Khamenei was injured in recent explosions, but the anonymous source’s allegations cannot be independently corroborated, largely due to Iran’s ongoing internet blackout. In a conversation with the Associated Press, Türkiye’s foreign minister Hakan Fidan admitted he is unaware of the extent of Khamenei’s injuries, but “what we know is that he is alive and functioning”.
Fidan’s remarks follow assertions by Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, who stated there was “no problem” with the Islamic republic’s new supreme leader. These statements were made after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested the Iranian leader is “wounded and likely disfigured”.
This week, Iran announced Mojtaba Khamenei as its new Supreme Leader following an airstrike that claimed the life of his father, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the Middle Eastern conflict.