Trump: Iran has 'reached out' and 'wants to negotiate'

He said Americans should know that any US military intervention will undoubtedly be 'accompanied by irreparable damage'

Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. File Picture: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP

US president Donald Trump has said that Iran has “reached out” and “wants to negotiate”.

He went on to say that the country has “a lot of trouble” and that no decision has been made on whether the US will join Israel in launching airstrikes in Iran.

Earlier, Iran’s supreme leader had rejected US calls for surrender in the face of Israeli strikes and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause “irreparable damage” to them, in an official statement read by a state TV anchor.

The remarks from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has only been seen once since the strikes began, came after US president Donald Trump demanded “Unconditional surrender” in a social media post and warned Mr Khamenei that the US knows where he is but has no plans to kill him, “at least not for now”.

Mr Trump initially distanced himself from Israel’s surprise attack on Friday that triggered the conflict, but in recent days has hinted at greater American involvement, saying he wants something “much bigger” than a ceasefire.

The US has also sent more warplanes to the region.

A man looks at flames rising from an oil storage facility after it appeared to have been struck by an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, early Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

An Iranian official had earlier warned that US intervention would risk “all-out war.”

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei did not elaborate, but thousands of American troops are based in nearby countries within range of Iran’s weapons.

The US has threatened a massive response to any attack.

Another Iranian official said the country would keep enriching uranium for peaceful purposes, apparently ruling out Mr Trump’s demands that Iran give up its disputed nuclear programme.