War Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the American negotiation team has made a “productive development” in talks with current Iranian officials after a “new regime” took power, despite Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denying that negotiations are underway.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that Iran has already undergone a “regime change.”
“The one regime was decimated, destroyed; they’re all dead. The next regime is mostly dead,” the president said aboard Air Force One. He went on to suggest that Iran has since moved on to its “third regime,” stating that the “different group of people” communicating with U.S. negotiators have “been very reasonable.”
Trump reiterated this sentiment in a Monday Truth Social post, writing, “The United States of America is in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran.”
Speaking with Breitbart News during a Tuesday morning Pentagon press briefing, Hegseth said he would defer to Trump’s negotiation team on whether or not the new regime is actually “more reasonable,” but claimed that progress has been made:
“I would defer to the negotiating team there. They’re the ones talking to them, but they’re getting a back-and-forth on terms, which is a productive development,” the War Secretary said.
“We stand right there next to our negotiating team, always willing and prepared to put them in an even better position,” he added.
Araghchi, Iran’s top diplomat, confirmed later on Tuesday to Al Jazeera that messages had been exchanged with the U.S., but said, “this does not mean that we are in negotiations.”
“There is no truth to the claim of negotiations with any party in Iran,” the foreign minister said. “All messages are conveyed through the Foreign Ministry or received by it, and there are communications between security agencies,” he added.
Trump’s Monday post also came with a threat for members of the new Iranian regime, whom he did not name.
“Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet ‘touched.’”
He added, “This will be in retribution for our many soldiers, and others, that Iran has butchered and killed over the old Regime’s 47 year ‘Reign of Terror.’ Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Speaking to the press from the Oval Office on Tuesday evening, Trump estimated that Operation Epic Fury would be concluded “within two or three weeks … but we want to knock out every single thing they have.”
“Now, it’s possible that we’ll make a deal before that,” the president added.
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
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