‘Iran Called To Negotiate’, Claims Trump, Says Will ‘Hit Them Like They’ve Never Been Hit’ If Iran Targets US Bases | World News

US President Donald Trump on Sunday (local time) said Washington may be forced to take action against Iran due to ongoing protests across the country, even as he announced that Tehran had reached Washington for negotiations.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said Iranian leaders had contacted Washington to discuss diplomatic engagement.
When asked if Iran wanted to hold diplomatic talks with him, Trump responded positively.

Trump said, “They did. They called. Iran called yesterday to negotiate. Iran’s leaders called. They want to negotiate. I think they are tired of being beaten by the United States. Iran wants to negotiate.”

During the call, the US President also added that he was in the process of arranging a meeting, but warned that developments on the ground in Iran could force Washington’s hand before negotiations begin.

The US President said, “We can meet with them. So, this is a meeting being arranged, but we may have to take action due to what happened before the meeting. But a meeting is being arranged.”

A reporter later asked the President about Iran, claiming that they would view military and commercial bases as legitimate targets if the United States attacked them.
In response, Trump said, “If they do that, we’ll take into account things they won’t believe. We’ll hit them at levels they’ve never been hit before.”

The reporter continued: “Do you think Iran will take this threat seriously?”
Trump replied: “After years of living with me, shouldn’t they probably do that at this point?… Soleimani, Al Baghdadi, the Iranian nuclear threat is gone… What a stupid question.”

When Trump was asked whether his administration was considering the possibility of enabling internet access in Iran, including Elon Musk’s Starlink service, as internet services have been down in the Islamic Republic for the past two days, he said talks were ongoing; but no final decision has been made.

The US President said, “We will talk about it. We can make the Internet work. We can talk to Elon Musk; I will call him.”
Meanwhile, US Senator Lindsey Graham stated during a fundraiser hosted by the Tzedek Foundation that US military intervention against Iran may be imminent.

Speaking at the meeting, Graham said that developments regarding Iran could emerge at any time.
“I don’t know what happened, but it could happen tonight. It’s only a matter of time now. This cruel regime has to end. We have to put an end to this for the good people of Iran, for ourselves, and for the people of Israel. We have to bring this man down. He needs to go, standing or lying down. I don’t care. He needs to go,” Graham said.

These remarks come at a time when the Islamic Republic has been witnessing violent unrest and protests against rising inflation and economic difficulties in various provinces of the country for the last 15 days.

The protests quickly turned into tense unrest across the country, with violent clashes between protesters and security forces.
According to the press wing of Human Rights Activists (HRA) in Iran, at least 544 people were reported to have died in anti-government demonstrations, while dozens of cases are under investigation.

Additionally, according to IHD, while demonstrations were held in 585 locations across the country, covering 186 provinces of 31 provinces, more than 10,681 people were detained and transferred to prisons.

The protests began on December 28, when demonstrations spread to many cities and authorities responded with arrests, crackdowns, and the use of force.

 

Also Read: Iran Protests: Death Toll Exceeds ‘500’; Trump Will Ask Musk to Restore the Internet – 10 Points