WASHINGTON DC: U.S. President Donald Trump said he has no interest in negotiating with Iran and suggested the conflict might end only if Tehran’s military capabilities are destroyed and its leadership is no longer in power.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump indicated that continued airstrikes could make negotiations irrelevant if Iran’s remaining leadership is eliminated and its armed forces are dismantled.
Meanwhile, Israel said it carried out additional strikes across Iran on Sunday. A large fire also broke out in a government office building in Kuwait City after it was hit by drones, as the conflict that has shaken the Middle East and unsettled global oil markets entered its second week.
Trump has defended the attacks by claiming Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States and was nearing the capability to produce a nuclear weapon, though he has not presented evidence to support the claim.
According to a report by Axios, the United States and Israel have discussed the possibility of deploying special forces into Iran later in the conflict to secure its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The White House has not commented on the report.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to neighboring countries affected by Iranian attacks on U.S. facilities in their territories, seeking to reduce tensions in the Gulf. However, his remarks triggered criticism from hardliners inside Iran.
“I personally apologize to neighboring countries that were affected by Iran’s actions,” Pezeshkian said, urging them not to join the U.S.–Israeli military campaign against Iran.
He rejected Trump’s demand for Iran’s unconditional surrender as unrealistic, but said the country’s temporary leadership council had agreed to suspend attacks on nearby states unless strikes on Iran were launched from their territory.
The comments sparked political debate inside Iran, prompting his office to clarify that Iranian forces would respond decisively to any attacks originating from U.S. bases.
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on state television that there was no division among Iranian officials over how the war was being handled.
Sources told Reuters that Saudi Arabia had warned Tehran that continued strikes against the kingdom or its energy infrastructure could prompt Riyadh to retaliate.
Governments in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates reported Iranian drone attacks late Saturday and early Sunday, causing varying levels of damage. Iranian state media also reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards targeted U.S. forces at a base in Bahrain.
In Oslo, Norway, an explosion struck the U.S. embassy early Sunday, causing minor damage but no injuries, police said. Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the blast or who may have been responsible.
A Trump administration official told Reuters that Washington has temporarily paused a federal security bulletin that would have warned of increased threats to the United States linked to the Iran conflict. However, a recent U.S. intelligence assessment indicated that Iran and its regional allies could “probably” carry out targeted attacks against the United States.
(Inputs from Reuters)
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