ANKARA
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he has made no offers to Iran and is not personally engaged in any talks with the country.
“Tell phony Democrat Senator Chris Coons that I am not offering Iran ANYTHING ... nor am I even talking to them,” Trump said on social media, pushing back against any suggestions of his talking with Tehran.
He also criticized former President Barack Obama over the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which he called “the stupid ‘road to a Nuclear Weapon JCPOA (which would now be expired!)’”
Trump’s 2018 unilateral withdrawal from the deal paved the way to the current standoff with Iran over its nuclear enrichment.
The US president also reiterated his claim that recent US attacks had effectively destroyed Iran’s nuclear facilities, despite US intelligence reports suggesting the damage might actually have only set back the program a matter of months.
“I am not even talking to them since we totally OBLITERATED their Nuclear Facilities,” he said, referring to US strikes earlier this month on sites in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.
Trump’s comments come amid ongoing international debate over the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and questions regarding possible diplomatic re-engagement.
While some US officials have indicated openness to dialogue, the president's remarks suggest a firm stance following the recent escalation between the two nations.
Trump on Sunday also posted “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!” a message interpreted as a message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.