Trump says Iran ‘afraid’ to admit it wants a deal

United States President Donald Trump insists that Iran is taking part in peace talks, suggesting its denials are because Iranian negotiators fear being killed by their own side. “They are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly. But they’re afraid to say it, because they figure they’ll be killed by their own people,” Trump told a dinner for Republican members of Congress. “They’re also afraid they’ll be killed by us.” The US President’s comments came after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, “We do not intend to negotiate.” Trump repeated his assertion that Iran’s forces were being “decimated” in the conflict, which is now in its fourth week, even though Iran still maintains an effective stranglehold over the crucial Strait of Hormuz oil route. Lashing out at his domestic opponents, Trump also claimed Democrats were trying to “deflect from all of the tremendous success that we’re having in this military operation”. In a mocking reference to calls from Democrats for him to seek the approval of Congress for the conflict, Trump added: “They don’t like the word ‘war,’ because you’re supposed to get approval, so I’ll use the word ‘military operation’.” The White House said earlier that Trump was ready to “unleash hell” if Iran did not admit defeat, while also insisting that Tehran was still taking part in talks. Iranian state media had earlier cited an unidentified official as saying that the Islamic republic had responded “negatively” to a reported 15-point plan from Washington. ‘Talks continue’ “If Iran fails to accept the reality of the current moment, if they fail to understand that they have been defeated militarily and will continue to be, President Trump will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “President Trump does not bluff, and he is prepared to unleash hell. Iran should not miscalculate again.” Asked if negotiations with Iran had stalled, Leavitt replied: “Talks continue. They are productive.” She declined to say with whom the US was negotiating since the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, whose son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not been seen in public since his appointment. Speculation continues as to with whom the US is negotiating, given that long-time Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is dead and his successor, his son Mojtaba, has not been seen in public since his father was killed. Photo / Getty Images Reports have suggested the interlocutor is Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of Iran’s parliament and one of its most prominent non-clerical figures. Leavitt also declined to confirm reports that top US officials, including Vice-President J.D. Vance, were set to hold talks with the Iranians in Pakistan, which has emerged as a key mediator. Trump is moving thousands of airborne troops and extra US Marines to the Gulf amid speculation that he might order a ground invasion to either seize Iranian oil assets or secure the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, the White House appeared to stick to the four to six-week timeline it had previously given for the duration of the war. Trump announced yesterday that his visit to China to meet Xi Jinping had now been rescheduled for six weeks until mid-May as he continued to handle the conflict. “We’ve always estimated approximately four to six weeks [for the length of military operations against Iran], so you could do the math on that,” Leavitt added. - Agence France-Presse

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