President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran has reached out to the United States seeking renewed negotiations following another round of American military strikes, even after the president declared just a day earlier that the ceasefire between the two nations was “over.”
Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said Iranian officials contacted Washington after U.S. forces carried out a second consecutive night of strikes targeting dozens of locations across Iran.
“They called a little while ago,” Trump said, adding that Iran’s leaders “want to make a deal so badly.”
Despite claiming Tehran is seeking negotiations, Trump expressed skepticism about whether any future agreement would be successful or whether Iran could be trusted to uphold its commitments.
The president questioned whether Iran was “worthy of making a deal,” and whether the country would ultimately “honor” any agreement that might be reached.
Trump also defended the latest military operations, describing the U.S. response as significantly stronger than Iran’s recent attacks.
“We just hit them very hard,” Trump said. “And I say we hit them 20 to 1, every time they hit us, we’re going to hit them 20. And we did it last night. They did a little something today, but it was really retribution for last night. They hit actually three boats, not two. And when they hit, we hit back much harder. They have very little left.”
The president’s latest remarks marked a notable shift in tone from comments he made the previous day, when he declared that the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran had effectively collapsed.
Trump had said Wednesday that the agreement was “over” after renewed attacks on commercial vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important shipping routes.
The Strait of Hormuz serves as a critical corridor for global energy supplies, with roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passing through the narrow waterway.
Following the attacks on maritime traffic, the United States launched another series of military operations against Iran.
According to the Pentagon, Wednesday night’s strikes were intended to help ensure the Strait of Hormuz remained open to international shipping after renewed threats emerged in the region.
The latest military action represented the second consecutive night of U.S. strikes inside Iran.
Iran responded by launching attacks against Kuwait and Bahrain.
Reports indicated that the latest American operation struck dozens of targets across Iran, with explosions reported in cities along the country’s southern coastline.
Iranian state media reported that at least three people were killed during the overnight bombardment.
State media also said that portions of the region experienced power outages following the strikes.
The renewed exchange of military action comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran after attacks targeting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
While Trump said Iran has now reached out seeking negotiations, he made clear that he remains uncertain whether diplomacy can produce a lasting agreement. Even as he acknowledged Tehran’s reported interest in talks, the president emphasized the scale of the latest American military response and questioned whether Iran could be trusted to uphold any future deal.
His comments underscore the uncertain state of relations between the two countries following another night of military escalation, even as discussions of a possible negotiated resolution appear to remain on the table.
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