Trump says Iran wants to negotiate but it’s too late

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that it is “far too late” for Iran to seek dialogue with Washington, after months of unsuccessful talks preceding the unprecedented US-Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, he wrote: “Their air defenses, air force, and their leader have been eliminated. They want to negotiate. I told them: it’s too late.”

Trump announced that he would send American forces to Iranian territory if necessary, stressing that the US military has the capability to fight a war lasting more than four or five weeks.

He confirmed that the major wave of US attacks has not yet begun.

Attempting to justify the war launched Saturday alongside Israel, Trump said during a White House ceremony that he had seized the “last and best opportunity” to strike Iran. He stressed that “an Iranian regime possessing long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would pose an intolerable threat to the Middle East, as well as to the American people.”

For his part, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday at a press conference that Washington had not sent any forces into Iran, but emphasized its readiness to go “as far as necessary” in the battle.

Responding to a question about whether US troops had entered Iran, Hegseth said: “No, but we won’t say what we will or will not do.” He added: “We will go as far as we need to.”

In an interview with the New York Post, Trump said: “I’m not afraid (to send) ground troops like all those presidents who say: there will be no ground troops. I don’t say that… I say we probably won’t need that, unless it becomes necessary.”

In another interview with CNN, the US president announced that the attack on Iran would escalate.

He said: “We haven’t hit them hard yet. The big wave hasn’t happened yet… the major strike is coming soon,” without providing further details.

In his White House remarks, Trump said: “We are already ahead of our expectations. But whatever the timeline, that’s fine, and whatever the cost, success will always be ours.” He added: “We have the capabilities to go far beyond” four or five weeks.

For the first time, Trump outlined objectives for the war, saying: “First, we will destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities… Second, we will completely eliminate their naval power… Third, we want the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism never to be able to acquire nuclear weapons.”