Iran's new leadership wants to talk, I have agreed: Trump
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump on Sunday told the Atlantic magazine that Iran's new leadership wants to talk to him and that he has agreed. "So I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long," Trump said. This comes a day after the US and Israel launched a large-scale military offensive in Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Delayed discussions
'Most Iranian negotiators dead'
Trump also criticized Iran for delaying negotiations and not giving practical solutions sooner. He said that "most" of the Iranian negotiators who had been in talks with the US recently are now dead due to what he called a "big hit." When asked when the talks might take place, Trump said, "I can't tell you that." The US and Israel's military offensive on Saturday morning killed Khamenei and several other high-ranking Iranian officials.
Retaliation and vow
Iran vows to hit back
In response to the offensive, Iran has launched missile and drone attacks mainly targeting US military bases in the Middle East. Iranian security chief Ali Larijani vowed that Tehran would strike its enemies "with a force never seen before." The US army also confirmed that three service members were killed and five others seriously wounded in the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Casualty update
40-day mourning period for Khamenei
Earlier on Sunday, Trump told Fox News that the strikes had killed at least 48 Iranian leaders. "Nobody can believe the success we're having, 48 leaders are gone in one shot," he said. In a separate interview with CNBC, he said that the ongoing military operations in Iran are "ahead of schedule." "We're doing our job not just for us but for the world. And everything is ahead of schedule."