Trump Eyes Talks as Iran Signals Openness After U.S.-Israel Strike

A senior White House official said Sunday that Iran's “new potential leadership” has suggested it is open to talks with the United States after American and Israeli forces launched a major attack against Tehran, killing the country's supreme leader and other high-ranking officials. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations, and did not reveal who the prospective leaders are or how the message was conveyed. The official added that President Donald Trump says he is “eventually” willing to talk, but for now the military operation “continues unabated.”

Trump told The Atlantic on Sunday that he planned to speak with Iran's new leadership. “They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” he said, declining comment on the timing.

The potential diplomatic opening comes as new details emerge about the detailed planning behind the U.S.-Israeli strikes and some of the targets hit in Iran. U.S. Central Command said that B-2 stealth bombers struck Iran's ballistic missile facilities with 2,000-pound bombs, mirroring the approach used previously in June when Trump agreed to deploy B-2 bombers to attack three key Iranian nuclear sites. Trump also claimed in his State of the Union address last week that Iran had been building ballistic missiles capable of reaching the U.S. homeland—a claim he reiterated as the bombardment began.

The Defense Intelligence Agency has, in unclassified terms, suggested Iran could develop a militarily viable intercontinental ballistic missile by 2035 should Tehran decide to pursue the capability. The evolving narrative underscores the precarious balance between pressure and diplomacy in a conflict where both sides weigh military heft against potential talks.

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