Trump says Tehran has reached out, Iran rejects the lie

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Iran was totally defenceless and had no air defence whatsoever, as he added that Tehran had reached out to his administration, but it was too late. However, Iran rejected the claim and described the assertion as a lie.

Iran now wants to talk. Why they didn’t do so earlier, Trump told reporters.

He declined to answer reporters’ questions on whether the US was planning to strike Iran or its nuclear facilities, and said the Iranians had reached out but he feels “it’s very late to be talking.”

“I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do,” Trump said.

“There’s a big difference between now and a week ago,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. “Nobody knows what I’m going to do.”

At the same time, the US president said that Iran had proposed to come for talks at the White House. He did not provide details.

‘MORE DESPICABLE THAN HIS LIES’

“No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House,” said the Iranian Mission at the UN in a post shared on X.

No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House. The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to “take out” Iran’s Supreme Leader.

Iran does NOT negotiate under duress, shall NOT accept peace under duress, and certainly NOT…

— I.R.IRAN Mission to UN, NY (@Iran_UN) June 18, 2025

“The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to “take out” Iran’s Supreme Leader.”

It said, “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 statement read.

PREPARED TO EXECUTE

Separately, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US military is “prepared to execute” any decision Trump might make on matters of war and peace, even as he declined to confirm preparations of strike options on Iran.

“If and when those decisions are made, the Department (of Defence) is prepared to execute them,” Hegseth told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

REGIME CHANGE?

On the other hand, Trump said Iran had bad intensions – a point that he again did not explain in detail. However, he said that slogans like “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” were chanted for 40 years, as he “highlighted” the threats faced by the US.

When a reporter asked what he would say to the Supreme Leader of Iran who says they will not surrender?, his response was, “I say, ‘Good luck.”

Using the opportunity, the US president again demanded an unconditional surrender from the Iran leadership.

However, Trump said their patience had run out, as he stressed the need for an unconditional surrender while answering the questions. He said their patience had run out and he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to keep going – continue attacking Iran.

The demands coincides with Netanyahu’s statement that Iran could witness a regime change.

Earlier in the day, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday the nation would never surrender and warned the United States it would face “irreparable damage” if it intervenes.

Read more: Khamenei says Iran will ‘never surrender’, warns off US

PAKISTAN-INDIA WAR

At the time, Trump yet again mentioned that he had stopped the war between two nuclear-armed nations – Pakistan and India.

Given the focus on trade, the US president also said that his administration would figure out a trade deal with India.

His remarks about Pakistan-India war came, as he is going to host Field Marshal Asim Munir for a luncheon on Wednesday.