Trump Claims Regime Change in Iran, Expects Deal Soon

According to The Financial News, Donald Trump said that negotiations with Iran are under way and expressed confidence that an agreement will be reached soon.
On the 29th (local time), foreign media including Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, while traveling from the State of Florida to Washington, D.C., that he was almost certain the United States would reach a deal with Iran. He referred to the deaths of many figures in Iran’s leadership and stressed that this amounted to a regime change.
He said, "Iran's new leadership is more reasonable," adding, "We are now negotiating with people who are different from those we dealt with before," indicating that the government in Iran has changed.
Trump stated, "We are negotiating both directly and indirectly, and we are also in direct contact through special envoys," adding that talks are "proceeding very favorably."
Regarding the 15-point list of demands the United States has delivered to Iran, he said, "They have given us (accepted) most of the demands. Why wouldn’t they?" He continued, "They are agreeing to our plan. We asked for 15 things, and we are going to ask for a few other things as well."
Iran has publicly rejected the 15 points and has instead put forward five counter-conditions, including maintaining its control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also announced that, starting on the morning of the 30th, Iran had agreed to allow 20 large oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
In an exclusive interview reported the same day by the Financial Times (FT), Trump again emphasized that indirect talks with Iran, mediated by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, were making good progress.
Trump has warned that if Iran does not accept the U.S. conditions for ending hostilities by the 6th of next month, the United States will strike Iran’s energy facilities.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has said it is ready to mediate negotiations between the United States and Iran within the next few days.
Mohammad Ishaq Dar, foreign minister of Pakistan, said both countries had expressed confidence in Pakistan’s role as mediator, adding, "We consider it an honor to mediate for a comprehensive and long-term cease-fire agreement."
He said he had just concluded a second round of talks in Islamabad with the foreign ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the Republic of Türkiye, and Egypt, and that they had welcomed the plan drawn up by Pakistan.
He also explained the plan to Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, and to Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres, and said they had responded positively.
By contrast, Iran, which denies having any direct contact with the United States, voiced distrust through Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who said that U.S. diplomacy was nothing more than a smokescreen.
Ghalibaf said that while the United States was secretly preparing a ground operation, it was simultaneously sending messages about negotiations and dialogue, and he declared that Iran was ready to fight.
The Jerusalem Post in Israel reported, citing a senior U.S. official, that the United States could deploy a substantial number of ground troops to the Middle East early this week, adding that "approval of the operation depends on the president’s decision."
jjyoon@fnnews.com Yoon Jae-joon Reporter