Summary He raised doubts about the well-being of the new supreme leader, saying he might not even be alive
(Web Desk) - President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Iran is ready to negotiate a ceasefire amid ongoing US strikes, including on Kharg Island, but he rejected the current terms as insufficient.
“Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet," NBC News cited Trump during a telephone interview. “We totally demolished Kharg Island, but we may hit it a few more times just for fun.”
Trump also raised doubts about the well-being of the new supreme leader in Iran, saying he might not even be alive.
"I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody’s been able to show him,” Trump said. “I’m hearing he’s not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that’s surrender.”
Asked about the future of the regime, Trump said there are channels open with some leaders in Iran who might be qualified candidates.
“We have people that are living who would be great leaders for the future of the country," Trump said. When asked if he is in touch with any of the potential leaders, he declined to give details, saying: “I don’t want to say that. I don’t want to put them in jeopardy.”
MORE US MARINES SENT TO MIDDLE EAST
The Pentagon is deploying thousands of additional Marines and sailors to the Middle East as Iran intensifies attacks on the Strait of Hormuz, Newsmax reported on Saturday.
The USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship which carries about 2,500 sailors and Marines, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is joining the region after operations in the Philippine Sea, while additional vessels are also being sent, according to senior US military officials.
IRAN TELLS UAE CIVILIANS TO EVACUATE PORTS
Iran on Saturday called on civilians in the UAE to evacuate ports, docks and "American hideouts," saying US forces had targeted Iran from those areas.
The UAE denied that strikes on Iran's Kharg Island overnight Friday had come from its territory.
Calling any facility associated with the United States a "legitimate target," Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps urged all U.S. industries to move out of the region.
15 KILLED IN AIRSTRIKE ON FACTORY IN ISFAHAN
A US-Israeli strike on a factory in Isfahan has killed least 15 people, according to Iranian media. Several sites, including an IRGC airbase, were also struck in the barrage.
UAE DEFENDS RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENCE AFTER IRAN ATTACK
The UAE on Saturday rejected accusations by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi following Tehran’s recent attack, saying its right to self-defense while emphasizing continued efforts to prevent further escalation in the region.
"The UAE has the right to self-defense in the face of this terrorist aggression imposed upon it, yet it continues to prioritize reason and logic, maintaining restraint and seeking an exit for Iran and the region," Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president posted on X.
"In his justification, Araghchi has condemned his own country, entrenched its isolation, and exposed its aggression, all while knowing that the UAE exerted sincere efforts until the very last moment to mediate between Washington and Tehran to avert this war," he added.
IRAN MOCKS US GROUND INVASION PLANS
Speaker of Iran's parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Saturday listed radars, batteries, tankers, bases, and drones destroyed by Iran on X, then taunted US Secretary of War "Tele-General Hegseth" to send infantry “to die for Israel.”
