President Reveals Negotiating Team, Says Tehran's Military Capabilities Significantly Degraded
Trump said US officials are negotiating with Iran while claiming major military gains, as mediators push for talks and Washington awaits Tehran’s response.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Amid escalating confrontation and shifting diplomatic signals, President Donald Trump announced that senior US officials are engaged in direct talks with Iran, as military pressure and negotiation efforts unfold simultaneously.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump stated that JD Vance and Marco Rubio are part of a negotiating team engaging with Iranian representatives, alongside Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, in talks with what he described as a high-level and respected Iranian figure.
Trump asserted that Iran’s military capabilities have been significantly degraded, stating that the country no longer retains effective naval or air forces and that its air defense systems have been destroyed. He said the United States now operates freely over Tehran’s airspace.
He further revealed that Iran had launched 101 missiles toward the aircraft carrier “Abraham Lincoln,” but said US defense systems intercepted all of them. “They tried, but not a single missile reached its target,” Trump stated, describing this as evidence of US military technological superiority.
According to Trump, 82 percent of Iran’s missile launch platforms have been destroyed.
On the diplomatic front, Trump said that strong discussions took place on Sunday evening between Washington and Tehran. “They reached out because they seriously want to make a deal,” he said, adding that he ordered a five-day pause in the bombing of power stations to assess the outcome of the talks.
He set a primary condition for any agreement as “the complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program,” stating, “If we had not attacked, Tehran would have obtained a nuclear weapon within two weeks. Now they have agreed they will never have it.”
Trump expressed hope that any agreement would lead to long-term peace acceptable to Israel and Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
He also claimed that a “change of power” has taken place within Iran, noting that new leadership is now engaging in negotiations with a special White House team to end the conflict.
Regarding Mojtaba Khamenei, Trump said, “I don’t want him to be killed, but honestly, I don’t know if he is still alive or not, because right now inside Iran no one knows who is in charge, and the situation is full of chaos.”
Trump added that Iran had sent what he described as a valuable gift related to energy, oil, and gas, though not connected to the nuclear file.
He reiterated that the United States views the situation not as a war but as a highly successful military operation, stating, “We have won this war. Only fake media say otherwise.”
Trump also said the UAE faced a large-scale attack involving 1,400 missiles, all of which were intercepted by US Patriot air defense systems.
In a related development, Axios reported that the United States and mediating countries, including Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey, are working to persuade Iran to attend a high-level meeting in Islamabad, which could take place as early as Thursday.
While Tehran has not officially confirmed participation in negotiations, US officials said messages have been sent and they are awaiting a final response from Mojtaba Khamenei or Iran’s leadership.
According to the report, Washington has presented Iran with a 15-point proposal that includes demands to surrender all enriched uranium—estimated at 450 kilograms at 60 percent enrichment—and to limit the range of ballistic missiles.
The report also noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed deep concern to the Trump administration, with Israeli sources fearing that Washington may offer significant concessions to Iran in pursuit of a rapid agreement.
Sources indicated that Israel remains skeptical of Trump’s statements suggesting Iranian agreement on key issues, believing that substantial differences remain between the two sides.
The report added that the US military has ordered the 82nd Division to deploy a brigade of several thousand soldiers to the Middle East, expanding the scope for potential ground operations.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that while Trump is allowing space for diplomacy, the operation known as “Epic Fury” remains ongoing, with forces at full readiness.
The report further indicated that Trump has postponed strikes on Iranian power stations until Friday. A White House official described the situation as “unstable,” stating, “Trump wants to see whether a deal can be reached. If not, we return to bombing.”
As negotiations and military operations advance in parallel, the unfolding developments reflect a critical juncture where diplomacy and military Force intersect in shaping the next phase of the crisis.