US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran has been “totally defeated” in the US-Israeli military campaign and is seeking a deal he would not accept, despite Iranian officials pledging to continue their resistance.
“The Fake News Media hates to report how well the United States Military has done against Iran, which is totally defeated and wants a deal, but not a deal that I would accept!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, without providing further details.
The comments followed his announcement that Washington had heavily bombed military targets on Iran’s oil hub Kharg Island, and that the US Navy would soon begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
As the US strikes continued, Tehran launched a fresh wave of drone and missile attacks on Israel and its Gulf neighbors.
Meanwhile, several top Iranian officials took part in a defiant pro-government rally in Tehran on Friday, marching alongside demonstrators waving banners reading “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”
Iran’s top diplomat reiterated this week that talks with the US remain off the table and that attacks would continue as long as necessary. “I don’t think talking with the Americans would be on our agenda anymore,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told PBS News, citing Tehran’s “very bitter experience” during previous negotiations.
AFP
