Trump: US in talks with Iran, but Tehran not ready for deal

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States is in discussions with Iran as the ongoing war enters its third week, but added that Tehran is not yet ready for a deal to end the conflict.

“Yes, we’re talking to them,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked if any diplomacy was underway to halt the conflict that has spread across the Middle East and disrupted global markets. He did not provide specifics on the nature of the discussions.

Trump added, “But I don’t think they’re ready. But they are getting pretty close.”

Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied that any talks with the United States were taking place.

Trump expressed caution about pursuing a deal, saying, “First of all nobody even knows who you’re dealing with, because most of their leadership has been killed.” He was referring to the deaths of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and dozens of other officials during the US-Israeli attacks on February 28.

Despite this, Trump insisted, “they want to make a deal badly.”

Responding to Trump’s remarks, Araghchi told CBS’s “Face The Nation” that Iran had no interest in negotiating with the United States.

“We are stable and strong enough. We are only defending our people,” he said. “We don’t see any reason why we should talk with Americans, because we were talking with them when they decided to attack us. There is no good experience talking with Americans.”