Iran’s diplomatic envoy to the United Nations denied President Trump’s claim Wednesday that Tehran has sought negotiations with the White House to end its conflict with Israel, blasting Trump as a “has-been warmonger.”
“No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House,” Iran’s mission to the U.N. posted Wednesday on the social platform X. “Iran does NOT negotiate under duress, shall NOT accept peace under duress, and certainly NOT with a has-been warmonger clinging to relevance.”
“Iran shall respond to any threat with a counter-threat, and to any action with reciprocal measures,” the post added.
Trump told reporters during an event at the White House shortly before the post that Iranian officials reached out to him because they “want to negotiate.”
“They’ve suggested they come to the White House — that is courageous, but you know it is not easy for them to do,” the president said. “I said, ‘Why didn’t you negotiate with me before all this death and destruction?'”
“We may meet; I don’t know,” he added.
The White House didn’t immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment on the social media post from Iran’s mission to the U.N.
Trump wouldn’t elaborate on what’s next as the U.S. reportedly weighs joining Israel’s campaign to crush Iran’s nuclear endeavors.
“I don’t know how much longer it is going to go on; they are totally defenseless,” he said outside the White House.
Israel’s surprise strike on Iran’s military and nuclear facilities Thursday derailed what was expected to be another round of negotiations over the weekend in the U.S.’s nuclear talks with Tehran.
While the president has vowed to stop Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime from developing a nuclear weapon, Iran maintains that its uranium enrichment program is for civilian purposes.
Trump told reporters Wednesday that the U.S. had given Iran 60 days to hash out an agreement, but the deadline expired just before Israel took aim at its Middle Eastern adversary.
“Remember 60 days — 61 is going to become a very famous number,” he said. “One hell of a hit, that first hit.”
“Not sustainable to be honest; it ended on the first night,” he added.
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