US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Iran’s new leadership wants to open talks with Washington, one day after US-Israeli strikes that Iranian state media and Israeli officials said killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In a phone call interview, Trump told The Atlantic that he agreed to speak with Iranian representatives, but declined to specify whether a conversation would take place on Sunday or Monday.
He added that some Iranian officials involved in recent contacts were “no longer alive,” following what he described as a major strike.
The remarks came as US and Israeli forces continued a campaign they have framed as aimed at creating conditions for regime change, while Iran has responded with missile attacks and the region has faced heightened concerns about escalation.
US military officials announced on Sunday that three US service members were killed and five were seriously wounded during the operation, marking the first publicly confirmed American casualties since the strikes began.
