US President Donald Trump touched upon the ongoing military tension with Iran at an event held at his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida. Trump stated that Iran will never have nuclear weapons and claimed that the Tehran administration wants to make a deal.
Stating that one of the possible nuclear infrastructure targets could be Mount Kazma, Trump got angry when asked by a New York Times reporter, "Do you expect a return to war against Iran within this week?" and replied, "Why are you asking such a stupid question? Let's say it is, would I tell you that?"
'WE CAN TAKE CARE OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES IN 10 MINUTES'
Claiming that they destroyed Iran's navy, air force, military infrastructure and production capacity, Trump said, "We also disabled its nuclear facilities. I can say that there are still 1 or 2 nuclear facilities that we need to take care of. But we can handle them in 10 minutes."
Asked about how the negotiations were going, Trump replied, "It's going well, but Iran is not very reliable. They make deals and then they back out."
'NO GEOGRAPHICAL LIMITATIONS'
Iran's top military and political officials warned of a possible new attack. Revolutionary Guards Spokesperson Hussein Muhibbi repeated the warning made by Iran's new religious leader Mojtaba Khamenei in a written message the day before.
"There is no geographical limitation in a conflict with the United States; a wide area has been defined to harm the enemy," Muhibbi said in a statement to Iranian state television.
'THE PRESIDENT OF THE USA CANNOT DICATE THE CONDITIONS'
Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Ekreminiya similarly argued that the United States could not be decisive in the duration and conditions of a possible war.
"A possible future war could last longer than the previous conflict, and the US President will not be in a position to dictate its timing or conditions," Ekreminiya said.
Iran had announced that it would target the critical civilian infrastructures of regional countries if the USA launched new attacks.
POSSIBILITY OF NEGOTIATIONS IN Türkiye
Ahmed Behshayesh Erdestani, a member of the Security Commission of the Iranian Parliament, spoke about the possibility of negotiations between Iran and the USA. Erdestani stated that direct negotiations between Iran and the USA in Qatar or Turkey are possible.
Stating that negotiations are the only way under current conditions and that all wars should end with negotiations, Erdestani said, "We should end neither war nor negotiations." He noted that direct negotiations between Iran and the USA in Qatar or Turkey are possible.
Erdestani also said, regarding the issue of leaving the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which is discussed in the Iranian public from time to time, "This issue creates the impression in the international arena that Iran is turning to producing nuclear weapons." made the statement.
ARAKCHI: MEETINGS CONTINUE
According to Iran's official news agency IRNA, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi, in his statement following the meeting of the Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, made evaluations about the visit of an Iranian delegation to Qatar. Stating that the visit was carried out at the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs level, Arakçi noted that the purpose of the meetings was to continue consultations with Qatari mediators who have been in contact in Tehran in recent weeks.
Arakchi emphasized that negotiations with the US side are not planned within the scope of the visit, and stated that negotiations regarding the two-day plan continue with mediators. Expressing that they continue their efforts regarding diplomacy, Arakçi emphasized that they hope that the other side will act rationally and prefer diplomacy to other methods.
Arakchi said, "The talks continue, but we have not yet reached a definitive conclusion. Because reaching a conclusion depends on the answers the other side gives to our questions." made the statement.
Stating that Iran is prepared for all scenarios, Araqchi stated that the instructions given by the country's leader Mojtaba Khamenei to senior military commanders clearly reveal Iran's will. Emphasizing that the duties of the Iranian Armed Forces are clear, Arakchi argued that the army is much stronger than before, thanks to the experiences gained from the previous two wars. Arakchi stated that Iran is ready for defense and diplomacy simultaneously and stated that which path the USA chooses depends on its own rational approach.
LETTER FROM VANCE, CONDITIONS FROM RIZAI
The warnings came after Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezai announced on Saturday that he had received a letter from US Vice President JD Vance seeking to revive talks. Rezai noted the positive change in the "tone" of the US side, but stated that they had not received a response yet. Rezai said Tehran had previously told Washington that "neither the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened nor any negotiations will be held" unless peace conditions are met.
According to AFP, these conditions include lifting the freeze on Iran's assets abroad, ending the months-long US naval blockade of Iranian ports, lifting long-standing sanctions and ending the war on all fronts.
Since the start of the war, Iran has claimed control over the Strait of Hormuz, the lifeblood of the global energy transit route, and has repeatedly targeted ships trying to pass without permission. The USA is implementing a naval blockade against Iranian ports.
HOPE OF 'DIPLOMATIC LEAP'
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said on Sunday that the UAE hoped for a breakthrough from the talks, but was preparing for the worst.
Speaking at a conference held in Manama, Gargash said, "We hope for a diplomatic breakthrough. It is not in the interest of the region that there will be a new round... But I think, as we have shown before, we are prepared for the worst."
