'Too late' to talk now: Trump as US-Israel strikes on Iran continue

United States' (US) President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that while Iranian officials had signalled their willingness for talks, the opportunity had passed as the US pressed on with its military campaign against Iran.

 

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Tehran’s air defence, air force, navy and leadership had been effectively dismantled, adding that any effort to reopen negotiations was “too late”.

 

“Their air defence, Air Force, Navy and leadership are gone. They want to talk. I said ‘Too late!’,” Trump said while reacting to a Washington Post opinion piece shared by another user on Truth Social.

 

 

Dr Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, a representative of the late Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, said Tehran remained open to dialogue, but “with dignity”, news agency ANI reported.

 

Meanwhile, Israel claimed to have carried out a strike targeting a senior Iranian commander. The Israeli military did not release additional details about the operation or confirm its outcome, Al Jazeera reported.

 

Trump further clarified that no US ground troops were deployed and that the mission was designed to limit civilian casualties, deter further attacks and disrupt what he described as Iran’s destabilising activities.

 

Iranian state broadcaster Press TV, meanwhile, reported that large crowds gathered for a funeral procession after more than 150 schoolgirls were killed on Saturday in strikes it attributed to the US and Israel. Footage aired by the channel showed thousands marching in protest, condemning the deaths of the students.

 

The conflict in West Asia has now entered its fourth day following US and Israeli joint strikes that killed Khamenei and other senior figures. In response, Tehran has launched retaliatory strikes targeting American military installations and Israeli assets across the region, as well as a number of targets across the West Asian countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain.

 

It has also claimed to have shut down the critical Hormuz Strait, a chokepoint for the global oil-and-gas trade, sending crude prices higher. Iranian drones have also targeted refineries in Saudi Arabai and Qatar, and ports and storage facilities in the UAE.