The President of the United States of America (USA) Donald Trump on Sunday shocked the public in an interview with Fox News by stating that 48 Iranian leaders were killed during the US-Israeli strikes on Iran yesterday and today, stressing that the situation is “moving forward quickly” and that the result is beyond all expectations.
“The situation is progressing. It is progressing quickly. No one can believe what success we are having, 48 leaders left at once. And it is progressing quickly,” said Trump.
According to earlier US media reports, Israeli and US intelligence agencies, including the CIA, had been following Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for months, monitoring his daily activities and waiting for the right moment to strike. That moment, according to sources, came on Saturday when Khamenei was killed.
At the same time, American and Israeli forces followed other senior Iranian military leaders. Yesterday, the IDF released the names of seven officials from the military and defense sector of Iran that they claim were killed in the operations.
Speaking to The Atlantic, Trump announced that the new Iranian leaders want to negotiate with Washington.
“They want to talk, and I agreed to talk, so I will talk to them. They should have done it earlier. They should have given earlier what is very practical and easy to do. They waited too long,” he said.
He did not reveal when the talks might take place, but stressed that the US is ready for dialogue with the new Iranian authorities.
This statement comes at a time of great tension in the Middle East, and the news of the mass elimination of Iranian leaders potentially opens a new phase of conflict between Iran, the US and Israel, with uncertain consequences for regional stability, the agencies report.
(Vijesti.ba/FENA)
