‘Too late’ for Iran to seek talks, says Donald Trump
In a separate letter, Trump formally informed the US Congress that at his direction the country’s military forces conducted precision strikes on against Iran.
United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday said it was “too late” for Iran to seek negotiations amid escalating tensions in West Asia after its joint attack with Israel on Tehran.
In a social media post, he claimed that Iran’s air defence, Air Force, Navy, and leadership are “gone”.
“They want to talk. I said ‘Too Late’,” he said.
The post included a link to an opinion piece in The Washington Post about what it described as the “birth of the Trump Doctrine”.
In a separate letter, Trump formally informed the US Congress that at his direction, the country’s military forces conducted precision strikes on Saturday against targets in Iran, “including ballistic missile sites, maritime mining capabilities, air defences and command and control facilities”, Fox News reported.
He said the strikes were aimed at protecting US forces and the homeland, and to ensure “the free flow of maritime commerce through the Strait of Hormuz” in collective self-defence of regional allies, including Israel.
No US ground forces were used and the mission was designed “to minimise civilian casualties, deter future attacks, and neutralize Iran's malign activities,” Fox News quoted him as saying.
The conflict began on Saturday after Israel and the US launched a joint operation targeting the Iranian regime, alleging that its actions constituted an “existential threat to Israel”. Tel Aviv has been claiming that Iran is “closer than ever” to obtaining a nuclear weapon, which could alter the regional security balance.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the attacks.
The killing of Khamenei, who had controlled all branches of the government and the armed forces since 1989, further escalated an already volatile situation in the region.
On Monday, Trump said that the attacks on Iran could extend longer than a month. The president said that the war was going “substantially” ahead of schedule but that the US was equipped for a prolonged conflict.
