Trump said he would “be talking” to Iran’s leaders, but did not specify when, noting that many within the country’s leadership had been killed
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he was ready to speak with what remains of the leadership in Iran after US-Israeli air strikes killed the country’s supreme leader and targeted its ruling establishment. The remarks came as a second day of heavy bombardment on Iranian cities and Tehran’s missile counter-attacks sent shockwaves through the region and unsettled global markets.
In an interview with the Atlantic,
Trump said he had agreed to talk to Iran’s surviving and newly appointed leaders. “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” he said, without giving a date. He said Iran should have acted sooner and described their earlier decisions as delayed.
Asked when such talks might take place, Trump said, “I can’t tell you.”
Asked if he would extend the conflict to support a popular uprising against the
regime, he gave no clear position, saying he would assess circumstances if such events unfolded. He warned of possible further American casualties and pledged to respond to any US deaths.
Iran tells UN of civilian casualties
At an emergency meeting of the
UN Security Council, Iranian ambassador Amir‑Saeid Iravani said hundreds of civilians had been killed or injured in the US-Israeli aerial campaign, claiming that residential areas in several cities were deliberately struck.
Iranian state media reported that 165 people were confirmed dead after a bomb attack on a girls’ primary school in Minab on Saturday.
Among those killed was supreme leader Ali Khamenei, the main target of the first strike on Saturday morning. US outlets reported that the CIA had tracked him for months, and the New York Times said the agency alerted Israel when he convened senior defence officials at his Tehran compound.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the Israeli army used a deception tactic to mislead Iranian intelligence, including instructing officers not to park in their usual places and circulating false information that Chief of Staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir was at home. The channel said Israeli air force strikes killed 30 senior Iranian officials within the first 30 seconds of the attack.
Claims of destroyed Iranian assets and casualties on both sides
Trump told Fox News that 48 Iranian leaders had been killed in the first two days of strikes and said nine Iranian warships had been sunk along with the naval headquarters. Iranian missile counter-strikes have killed nine Israelis, while US forces confirmed three deaths and five injuries from shrapnel.
Iran also targeted Gulf states that host US military installations. Airports in Kuwait City, Abu Dhabi and Dubai were hit by missiles and remained closed on Sunday, creating one of global aviation’s most serious disruptions in years.
Israel vows intensified assault
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the air strikes would escalate, stating, “Our forces are now striking at the heart of Tehran with intense power, and this will only escalate in the days ahead.”
Trump said the campaign, launched with the stated aim of regime change, was “moving along rapidly”.
Oil market jolted as tanker traffic stalls
Oil prices rose 10 per cent to $80 a barrel for Brent crude amid warnings that continuing conflict could push it to $100. The jump followed attacks on two ships that largely halted tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route from the Gulf.
Iranian state television said an oil tanker was hit and sinking after what it described as an attempt to “illegally” transit the strait, which the Islamic Revolutionary Guards declared closed.
Around 150 tankers reportedly anchored instead of entering the waterway, which carries about a fifth of the world’s traded oil. Major shipping companies, including MSC and Maersk, halted navigation in the region. The ship attacks revived concerns about a potential environmental disaster.
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