U.S. President Donald Trump said that "if Iran's new leaders are wise, Iran will face a great and prosperous future."
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday that "like Venezuela, the outcome in Iran will also be amazing." The remarks, made ahead of a second round of post-war negotiations with Iran, are interpreted as signaling that Tehran could achieve prosperity through sanctions relief or aid if it makes significant concessions on its nuclear program.
"Israel never told me to go to war with Iran," Trump said. "The outcome of October 7 solidified my lifelong belief that 'Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.'" October 7 refers to Hamas's surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Trump was rebutting speculation that he had been persuaded by Israel to start the war with Iran.
"Ninety percent of what the fake news says is lies and made-up stories, and the polls are rigged, just like the 2020 presidential election was rigged," Trump added.
Meanwhile, the likelihood of the United States and Iran sitting down together is rising as the two-week ceasefire deadline approaches. In an interview with the New York Post that day, Trump said a high-level delegation including Vice President JD Vance, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law Jared Kushner was heading to Islamabad, Pakistan, and was expected to arrive within hours. "They will arrive tonight (Islamabad time)," he added.
Dismissing the possibility of the talks breaking down, Trump stressed, "We are supposed to negotiate," and "At this point, I don't think anyone is playing games." Reuters also reported, citing a senior Iranian official, that Iran was positively reviewing its participation in the talks. Citing Pakistani sources, the news agency reported that the two-week ceasefire would end at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on the 22nd (9 a.m. Korean time on the 23rd).
