The key facts

  • At a rally in Georgia, Trump said he must 'stop' eliminating Iranian leaders in order to understand whom the negotiations are being conducted with.
  • According to him, Iran has no air force, no ships and no leadership: the 'first-tier leader' and the 'second-tier leader' have been eliminated.
  • Trump again justified the 2018 withdrawal from the JCPOA nuclear deal and mentioned the Midnight Hammer (2025) and Epic Fury (February–May) operations.

Statement at a rally in Georgia

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he needs to 'stop' eliminating Iranian leaders in order to understand whom the United States is negotiating with. Speaking at a campaign rally in Georgia, he said: 'I have to stop' eliminating Iranian leaders, 'because I have to figure out who the hell we're even negotiating with' (Anadolu).

Assessment of the state of the Iranian army and leadership

Trump repeated his account of the destruction of Iran's military infrastructure and leadership: according to him, Iran has 'no planes, no ships, nothing, no leaders,' and 'the first-tier leader has been eliminated, the second-tier leader has been eliminated'. At the same time, he once again stressed that Iran must never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons (Anadolu).

Justification of the withdrawal from the nuclear deal and military operations

Trump also defended his 2018 decision to end the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal concluded under then-President Barack Obama. 'I tore up one of the worst deals in history — Barack Hussein Obama's Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which some call the Iran nuclear deal. It was Iran's path to a nuclear weapon. I tore it up, fortunately, just in time,' he said. In addition, Trump said that the US 'destroyed Iran's nuclear enrichment capability' during the Midnight Hammer operation in 2025 and Epic Fury between February and May of this year, adding that Iran had been 'defeated militarily, financially and in every other way' (Anadolu).

Context and limitations of the information

The statement is notable in that it combines two lines: Trump simultaneously describes the Iranian leadership as eliminated and speaks of negotiations with Tehran, which, by his own formulation, makes it difficult to identify the counterparty. Editorial comment: the president's words indicate that dialogue with Iran remains on the agenda, however the Anadolu publication contains no confirmed details about the state or timing of such negotiations, nor about who would represent Iran in a possible dialogue. These questions remain open.