"No, thank you": Trump joked about the offer to lead Iran
Kyiv • UNN
Donald Trump joked about the offer to lead Iran during a speech in Washington. Tehran is considering a 15-point US plan to end the war.
US President Donald Trump joked about becoming the leader of Iran during a speech at the annual Congressional National Republican Committee (NRCC) charity dinner, writes UNN.
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"Never has a head of state wanted that position less than to be the head of Iran. I don't want it. We hear some of the things they say. We hear them very clearly. They say, 'I don't want it. We'd like to make you the next supreme leader.' No, thank you. I don't want it," Trump said.
Trump, speaking at the event in Washington on Wednesday evening, stated that Iranian leaders "are, by the way, negotiating and very much want to make a deal, but are afraid to say so because their own people will kill them. They are also afraid that we will kill them."
Iran is considering a US proposal to end the war in the Persian Gulf, but has no intention of holding talks to end the expanding conflict in the Middle East, the country's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday.
As Reuters notes, the Iranian foreign minister's comments "indicate some willingness on Tehran's part to negotiate a ceasefire if its demands are met, despite an initial negative reaction," amid Iranian officials publicly dismissing the prospect of any talks with the US.
The exchange of messages through intermediaries "does not mean negotiations with the US," Araghchi said on state television.
"They put forward ideas in their messages, which were conveyed to senior officials, and if necessary, they will announce their position," Araghchi said.
In addition, Iran has informed intermediaries that Lebanon must be included in any ceasefire agreement with the US and Israel, Reuters reported, citing six regional sources familiar with Iran's position.
Trump's 15-point proposal, conveyed through Pakistan, includes the removal of Iran's stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, an end to enrichment, restrictions on its ballistic missile program, and an end to funding for regional allies, according to three sources in the Israeli cabinet familiar with the plan.
A senior Israeli defense official, Reuters writes, said that Israel is skeptical of Iran's agreement to the terms of the deal and fears that American negotiators may make concessions. Israel also wants any deal to preserve its right to launch preemptive strikes, a second source said.