Trump says he’ll talk to Iran’s leaders, but urges Iranians to topple regime, says op could last weeks

White House official says dialogue with ‘new potential leadership’ to take place ‘eventually’; president encourages public to overthrow regime in wake of Khamenei’s death

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he would “be talking” with Iran’s leaders at their request, even as he continued to call on “Iranian patriots” to seize the moment created by the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei the previous day and topple the regime.

In a video statement, Trump also threatened Iranian security forces to lay down their arms or face “certain death,” as he vowed to “avenge” fallen US soldiers. And, in separate comments, he also said the military campaign launched together with Israel on Saturday against the regime could last several weeks.

While no successor for Khamenei has been named, Trump claimed in an interview with The Atlantic on Sunday that Iran’s leaders “want to talk,” but did not identify the leaders or say when the talks would take place.

“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner,” said Trump. “They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long.”

Asked when talks might take place, Trump said, “I can’t tell you.”

A senior White House official later clarified that while talks will “eventually” take place, the bombing campaign, dubbed Operation Epic Fury by the US and Operation Roaring Lion by Israel, “continues unabated.”

“President Trump said new potential leadership in Iran has indicated they want to talk and eventually he will talk. For now, Operation Epic Fury continues unabated,” the White House official said in a statement to querying reporters.

Referring to Iran’s leadership, Trump told The Atlantic that “most of those people are gone.”

“The attack was so successful it knocked out most of the candidates,” Trump also told NBC. “It’s not going to be anybody that we were thinking of because they are all dead. Second or third place is dead.”

Trump also took pride in Khamenei’s death, recalling two reported assassination attempts by the Khamenei-led Islamic Republic against him when he was running for the presidency in 2024. “I got him before he got me. They tried twice. Well, I got him first,” Trump said.

Trump put the precise number of top Iranian officials killed at 48 in separate interviews Sunday with Fox News and the Daily Mail.

Trump also told the Daily Mail that the campaign in Iran could last up to four weeks.

“It’s always been a four-week process… It’s a big country,” he said. “It’ll take four weeks — or less.”

In other interviews with US media, Trump said the operation was ahead of schedule and massively successful, despite the deaths of three US military personnel.

“We expect casualties, but in the end it’s going to be a great deal for the world,” Trump told NBC after the Pentagon announced the deaths, without elaborating on the circumstances in which US service members were killed or injured.

Meanwhile, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that the US had sunk nine Iranian navy ships and was “going after the rest… they will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea.”

“In a different attack, we largely destroyed their naval headquarters,” he said, adding sardonically that, otherwise, “Their navy is doing very well.”

Trump: Much of Iran’s military command wants to surrender

In a video posted later Sunday to Truth Social, Trump claimed Iran’s “entire military command is gone” and that “thousands” are seeking to surrender in exchange for immunity. He urged Iran’s security forces to lay down their arms in exchange for full immunity “or face certain death.”

“The entire military command is gone… and many of them want to surrender [in order to] save their lives. They want immunity. They’re calling by the thousands,” said Trump. “I once again urge the Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian military police, to lay down your arms and receive full immunity or face certain death.”

“Combat operations continue at this time in full force, and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved,” said Trump.

After urging Iranians on Saturday to shelter at home until the bombs stopped falling, Trump called in his Sunday statement for “Iranian patriots who yearn for freedom to seize this moment, to be brave, be bold, be heroic and take back your country.”

“America is with you. I made a promise to you, and I fulfilled that promise. The rest will be up to you, but we’ll be there to help,” he said.

“As one nation, we grieve for the true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives,” said Trump, adding that “there will likely be more.”

“America will avenge their deaths and deliver the most punishing blow to the terrorists who have waged war against, basically, civilization,” he said.

“Our resolve and, likewise, that of Israel, has never been stronger,” said Trump, vowing to continue the “righteous mission” for which three US service members died.

It was the second video statement Trump released since the start of the US-Israeli bombing campaign on Iran, and the first in which he mentioned Israel.

Trump had repeatedly threatened to strike Iran, first over its bloody crackdown on anti-regime protesters last month and more recently over its nuclear program. While Iran, whose leaders seek to destroy Israel, denies seeking nuclear weapons, it has enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities.

The US-Israel bombing campaign began two days after the last round of indirect nuclear talks between the US and Iran. The US demanded that Iran cease all uranium enrichment and also agree to negotiate restrictions on its ballistic missile production.

Iran rejected both demands and has retaliated for the US-Israeli strikes with deadly missile and drone attacks on Israel and Arab countries that host US bases, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Washington’s strikes on Iran have proven unpopular in the US. A Reuters/Ipsos poll concluded Sunday showed just one in four Americans approved of the strike, while about half — including about a quarter of Trump’s Republicans — considered the president too willing to use military force.

Democratic US lawmakers, as well as some Republicans, have slammed Trump for failing to seek Congressional approval for the US operation and accused him of failing to make his case for war to the American public.

In his video statement Sunday, Trump argued Americans were able to enjoy the freedoms afforded them because of actions like Operation Epic Fury.

“We cannot allow a nation that raises terrorist armies to possess such weapons, [which] would allow them to extort the world to their evil will,” Trump said. “This is the duty and the burden of a free people. These actions are right and they are necessary to ensure that Americans will never have to face a radical, bloodthirsty terrorist regime armed with nuclear weapons and lots of threats.”

“For almost 50 years, these wicked extremists have been attacking the United States while chanting the slogan, ‘Death to America,’ or ‘Death to Israel,’ or both,” said Trump. “They are the world’s number one state sponsor of terror. We are the world’s greatest and most powerful nation, so we can do something about what they do.”

“These intolerable threats will not continue any longer,” he said.