In an exclusive phone interview with The Atlantic published March 1, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump revealed that Iran’s new leadership is eager to resume negotiations following the recent joint US-Israel strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and inflicted heavy damage on regime targets.
Trump stated directly: “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long.” He expressed regret over the timing, adding: “They should have done it sooner, Michael. They could have made a deal. They should’ve done it sooner. They played too cute.” When pressed on timing, Trump said he couldn’t specify but noted that many previous Iranian negotiators are “gone” due to the strikes.
The interview came one day after Operation Epic Fury launched, resulting in the first U.S. casualties: three service members killed and five seriously wounded (per CENTCOM). Trump expressed confidence in the campaign’s success, describing it as a reversal of 47 years of Iranian aggression and highlighting minimal oil market disruption so far.
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