'Not Me, They Called For A Deal': Trump on Iran Willing to Talk, Put Aside Nuclear Ambitions amid Middle-East War

Washington: Hours after Donald Trump announced a five-day hold on strikes in Iran on Truth Social saying that the two sides will be back on the negotiating table, the US President clarified to reporters that he was not the first person to call for a ‘deal’ but the Iranians.

"I didn't call them. They called. They wanted to make a deal, and we are also willing to make a deal," Trump said, adding that, “It's got to be a good deal. And it's got to be no more wars, no more nuclear weapons.”

“They are not gonna have nuclear weapons anymore, they are agreeing to that. Any of that stops, there's no deal,” Trump said drawing the red line.

The assertion came hours after Trump's claims of Iran willing to come back to talks, was snubbed by the Iranian media which reported that no conversation has taken place between the two nations.

As per an AP report, Trump claimed that US envoys have been holding talks with a “respected” Iranian leader. He said his Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner conducted talks Sunday, and that the negotiations would continue. However, Trump did not name any official or officials representing Tehran, adding that the US has not spoken with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

Why Iran May Have Called?

As per Trump, the US was about to strike Iran's largest electric generating plants on Tuesday, which prompted Iran to get back to the negotiating table.

“So, tomorrow morning sometime, their time, we were expected to blow up their largest electric generating plants that cost over $10 billion to build. It's a very good one. There was no dearth of money. And one shot, it's gone. It collapses. Why would they want that? So, they called,” he said.

What US Wants From Iran Nuclear Deal?

Trump underlined that the US would like to take the enriched uranium from Iran if they reach a deal.

“We want no enrichment, but we also want the enriched uranium. If this happens, it's a great start for Iran to build itself back, and it's everything that we want. And it's also great for Israel, and it's great for the other Middle Eastern countries, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, all of them, Kuwait and Bahrain in particular,” he said.

Responding to a question on how US plans to bring the enriched uranium, Trump said, “It's very easy. If we have a deal with them, we are going down and we will take it ourselves.”

Lifting Sanctions on Iranian Oil at Sea

On his administration considering easing restrictions on Iranian oil at sea, Trump said that he just wants the “system” to be “lubricated”.

“I just want as much oil in the system as possible. You have ships loaded with oil. Rather than keep it there, I would rather see it goes to the system. Any small amount of money that Iran gets is not gonna have any difference in this war. But I want the system be lubricated,” he reasoned.

The Military Operation Against Iran

Defending US' military operation to bomb Natanz and Fordow nuclear facilities in 2025, following which Trump had claimed that the US has obliterated Iran's nuclear capabilities, he said, “If we hadn't bombed Iran with the B2 bombers, they would have had a nuclear bomb within two weeks to a month. If they had a nuclear weapon, they would have used it as soon as they got it. We hit them hard last summer, but that doesn't mean with the right equipment, you cannot dig down and go get it. They still haven't been able to get it. That was a complete success.”

On the assassinations carried out in Iran to bring an end to the Ayatollah regime, Trump said, "They have numerous leader groups; they have all been killed. Khamenei was killed, his son is unavailable. No one knows what happened to him. They haven't seen him either, so something is going on with him. I don't really consider him the leader. We do have some leaders left. We think there are some representatives of the country left who will do a good job at governance."

How US' Operation is Different From Russia's in Ukraine?

When asked by reporters how the operation in the Middle East is different from what Russia is doing in Ukraine, Donald Trump said that Iran wanted to take over the Middle East and they “knock out” Israel, saying that it would have been easy for them if they had a nuclear weapon.

"It's a lot different. And if you look at the nuclear weapons that they wanted to have, that they wanted to possess, a lot of things were different. I'm not a fan of what Russia's doing either, just so you understand. All right? But it's a lot different. You're talking about a country that has been evil for 47 years. They've been horrible. Death all over the world. Not just us. Look at the way they attacked unexpectedly all of those countries surrounding them. They were not supposed to. Nobody was even thinking about it. But they wanted to take over the Middle East and they wanted to knock out Israel permanently. If they had a nuclear weapon, they would have been able to," Trump reasoned.

Speaking about probable peace in the Middle East, Trump said that negotiators have already identified "15 points" of agreement during the ongoing talks with Tehran. Following his decision to pause military strikes for five days, the US President said that the control over the Strait of Hormuz would likely be shared between himself and the Iranian leadership.

Trump also suggested that the U.S. might identify a new Iranian figure to negotiate with. The President said that while diplomacy could lead to the reopening of the Strait soon, he "can't guarantee anything" at this stage.

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