New Delhi, March 4: US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s reported request for negotiations, saying it was “too late,” as tensions continue to escalate in West Asia following joint US–Israel military strikes that reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The strikes, carried out on February 28 under the operation dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” targeted Iran’s military and political infrastructure, including ballistic missile sites, maritime mining capabilities, air defence systems and command-and-control facilities.
In a statement, Trump said the US military operation was conducted using air and naval assets without deploying ground troops.
“At my direction, on February 28, 2026, United States forces conducted precision strikes against numerous targets within Iran,” Trump said, adding that the strikes were undertaken to protect US forces, safeguard American national interests and ensure the free flow of maritime commerce through the Strait of Hormuz.
The US president claimed that Iran’s military capabilities had been severely degraded and dismissed Tehran’s willingness to negotiate.
“Their air defense, Air Force, Navy, and Leadership is gone. They want to talk. I said ‘Too Late’,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The White House said the strikes had killed several senior Iranian officials. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said “49 of the most senior Iranian regime leaders” were eliminated in the attacks on Tehran.
Iran has declared a 40-day national mourning period following the death of Khamenei, who was reportedly killed during the large-scale air assault. Iranian state media reported that the strike also killed members of his family and senior advisers from the Revolutionary Guard.
The conflict has also led to heavy civilian casualties. Iranian media said more than 150 schoolgirls were killed in a missile strike during the initial wave of US–Israeli operations, triggering large funeral processions and protests across the country.
Despite the ongoing hostilities, an Iranian representative, Dr. Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, said Tehran remained open to diplomatic negotiations but insisted that talks must be conducted with “national dignity.”
Meanwhile, Israel said it had targeted a senior Iranian commander in a separate strike inside Iran, though the outcome of the operation was not disclosed.
Trump indicated that US military operations could continue beyond the initially projected four-to-five weeks and did not rule out the possibility of deploying ground troops if required.
“I don’t say there will be no boots on the ground… probably don’t need them, if they were necessary,” he said.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the administration would not engage in the “foolish exercise of telegraphing what we will or will not do.”
Following the strikes, Tehran has launched retaliatory attacks on American military installations and Israeli targets across the region, further intensifying the conflict in West Asia.
