Trump Says Iran Has No Leaders Left, Questions Who He Can Negotiate With

President Donald Trump told a rally on Sunday that Iran "has no airplanes, no ships, no leaders, no anything" and that the loss of its top officials makes it difficult for the United States to know who it is negotiating with. > "Their level-one leader is gone... their level-two leader is gone... I've got to stop, because I have to figure out with whom we are negotiating," Trump said.

The remarks came after a series of airstrikes in the early weeks of the conflict that, according to the report, eliminated several of Iran’s senior political and military figures, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The report also says Mojtaba Khamenei, described as the new Supreme Leader, was seriously injured and has issued statements but not appeared publicly.

The United States and Israel have paused their strikes, though Trump hinted that operations could resume after the U.S. midterm elections on November 3. He has also deployed a third aircraft carrier group along with 10,000 sailors and Marines.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told AFP that a possible renewal of hostilities would not alter Tehran’s stance. > "Recently, there has been talk of a new war, but I am already thinking about the post-war period. Whether there is war or not, our policies remain the same," he said, adding that any further attempts by the United States would likely produce the same outcomes as before.

The two sides have exchanged fire near the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil-shipping lane, though the incidents have lessened in recent weeks. Araghchi warned that the current conflict has reshaped regional dynamics, affecting how the strait is managed and used for shipping.