Iran Rejects Donald Trump Latest Nuclear Talks Claim As US - Israel Assaults Escalate

ibtimes.co.uk · Mar 2, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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The killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has pushed the Middle East into a moment few believed they would ever see. Within hours, Washington and Tehran were trading claims, not only about bombs but about quiet backchannel talks that may never have existed in the first place.The United States and Israeli airstrikes hit targets across Iran, killing Khamenei and at least 40 senior officials, according to live updates. Casualties were also reported in Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait and Lebanon as the region braced for retaliation and waited for signs of what would follow.US President Donald Trump said the Iranian government now wants to talk about its nuclear programme. In Tehran, however, Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, rejected that account and denied any new push for talks with Washington.In his most recent post on X, Larijani said Iran has long been prepared for war but did not start the conflict. He maintained that Tehran's actions were purely defensive. He added that Iran would continue to defend its sovereignty and its people, regardless of the cost. A Strike that Changed the BalanceThe scale of the assault shocked even seasoned observers. According to BBC News, the strikes targeted senior leadership compounds and military facilities in Tehran and other cities. Iranian state media confirmed the deaths of key figures within the political and security elite.Regional capitals moved to high alert as reports of casualties spread beyond Iran's borders. In Bahrain and Kuwait, authorities urged calm and asked people to stay indoors. In Iraq and Lebanon, armed groups signalled they stood ready to respond if needed.Trump personally authorised the strike after days of talks with top advisers, NBC News reported. The White House described the move as a necessary response to growing threats.For many in the region, the human cost came before anything else. Families of officials and military officers gathered outside hospitals in Tehran, waiting for news. Flights were cancelled across major airports. Borders tightened. Markets slipped as traders tried to guess what might happen next.Diplomacy or CoverThe political shock came as nuclear negotiations were said to be under discussion. Trump had been weighing his options while talks about Iran's nuclear programme hovered in the background.Some analysts now question whether the idea of negotiations created space for the operation. The timing has led to speculation that diplomacy acted as cover while military plans moved forward.Trump told US media that Iran 'wants to talk,' suggesting the strike pushed Tehran back towards the table.'They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,' Trump told The Atlantic. 'They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long.'Larijani rejected that version outright, saying Iran has not reached out to resume talks with Washington. He also criticised Trump for bringing chaos to the Middle East, warning that the American president's 'delusional fantasies' could lead to more American casualties.Trump's wishful thinking has dragged the whole region into an unnecessarily war and now he is rightly worried about more American casualties. It is indeed very sad that he is sacrificing American treasure and blood to advance Netanyahu's illegitimate expansionist ambitions. https://t.co/b11I6cNb6I— Ali Larijani | علی لاریجانی (@alilarijani_ir) March 2, 2026 TRUMP HAS BETRAYED “AMERICA FIRST” TO ADOPT “ISRAEL FIRST.”— Ali Larijani | علی لاریجانی (@alilarijani_ir) March 2, 2026 'We will not negotiate with the United States,' Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary wrote in a post on X on Monday, as per Al Jazeera. The contradiction has left allies unsure which account to believe. Reports suggested both allies and rivals of the United States were scrambling to assess Trump's next step, uncertain whether the administration seeks leverage or something closer to regime change.New Rules in a Second PresidencyThe fallout has exposed what some see as a defining feature of Trump's second term. Washington appears less bound by old alliances and more willing to act alone.European governments were caught off guard and struggled to shape a united response, The Guardian reported. Some officials privately admitted concern that diplomatic channels had narrowed at a dangerous moment.In Washington, the Pentagon defended the operation as targeted and necessary. But the speed and scale of the strike suggest a White House prepared to test boundaries.For years, talk of regime change in Iran stayed on the edge of policy debate. Now, with the country's top leader dead, that debate has moved to the centre of discussion in capitals around the world.The region waits for Tehran's answer. Retaliation could come through proxy forces or through direct action. Markets remain uneasy. Diplomats stay on the phone late into the night, searching for clarity.What is clear is the line between negotiation and force has grown thin. For ordinary people across the Middle East, the fear is not about political theatre in Washington or Tehran. It is about what tomorrow might bring.