Washington, DC, March 26
US President Donald Trump has significantly intensified his rhetoric against Tehran, asserting that Iranian negotiators are "begging" for a diplomatic resolution despite their public claims of merely "looking at our proposal."
In a series of blunt remarks, Trump claimed that Iran has been "militarily obliterated" and further cautioned that the nation has "zero chance of a comeback."
The US President dismissed Tehran's official diplomatic position as "WRONG!!!" and called upon the Iranian leadership to engage seriously in negotiations without delay. He issued a final warning, stating that if the current impasse continues, "there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won't be pretty," highlighting the critical nature of the escalating tensions.
These developments occurred shortly after Trump suggested that Tehran is seeking a deal to conclude the month-long conflict, despite senior Iranian diplomats publicly dismissing the possibility of discussions with Washington.
Trump, whose public stance has fluctuated between threats and conciliation, claimed that back-channel talks to resolve the war are currently active but suggested that Iranian officials are concealing them due to internal security concerns.
"They are negotiating, by the way, and they want to make a deal so badly," Trump stated during a dinner for Republican members of Congress.
He further alleged that Iranian officials are hesitant to admit to these talks publicly. "But they're afraid to say it, because they figure they'll be killed by their own people," he said, adding, "They're also afraid they'll be killed by us."
However, the Islamic Republic's senior leadership has firmly rejected these assertions. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state television that the country has no intention of participating in such negotiations.
"We seek an end to the war on our own terms, of course, and in a way that it will not be repeated here again," Araghchi noted during his broadcast.
Diplomatic sources in Islamabad indicated that Pakistan has shared a 15-point American peace plan with Tehran. Nevertheless, Iran's state-run Press TV cited an anonymous official who confirmed that Tehran had "responded negatively" to the US proposal.
Reinforcing the administration's hardline stance, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Trump "does not bluff and he is prepared to unleash hell" on Iran should a diplomatic agreement fail to materialise.
Meanwhile, providing a different perspective on the crisis, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated on Thursday that signs of both parties being open to dialogue offered a "glimmer of hope" for a peaceful resolution.
- ANI
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