Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. (X)
President Trump perceived the joint US-Israeli operation, which began on Saturday, as yielding success and weakening the regime’s forces.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Iran’s armed forces were “independent and somewhat isolated,” an acknowledgment of limited centralized control as fighting continued following a major US and Israeli assault on Iran and subsequent Iranian retaliatory strikes.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Araghchi said attacks in Oman were “not our choice,” adding that Iran had taken steps to limit further escalation.
“We have already told our armed forces to be careful about what targets they choose,” Araghchi said.
The comments came as US President Donald Trump said the US-led campaign against Iran was progressing faster than planned. In a phone interview with CNBC, Trump said Operation Epic Fury was “ahead of schedule,” describing Iran as “a very violent regime, one of the most violent regimes in history.” He said the United States was acting “not just for us but for the world.”
Trump perceived the joint US-Israeli operation, which began on Saturday, as yielding success and weakening the regime’s forces. He said Iran may be more inclined to accept US terms in nuclear negotiations following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in targeted strikes.
In a phone interview with CBS News on Saturday night, Trump praised the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, describing the opening of the conflict as “a great day for this country, a great day for the world.”
Trump said he expected Tehran to show greater willingness to compromise after the strikes eliminated several senior figures, including Iran’s defense minister, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the head of the military’s weapons of mass destruction development programs.
“Diplomacy will be much easier now than it was a day ago, obviously,” Trump said. “Because they are getting beat up badly.”
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