Trump 'agrees Iran talks' as 'big hit killed many' after officials 'played too cute'

US President Donald Trump has accused Iran officials of playing it "too cute" as he claims to have agreed to talks with leaders of the country following the attacks in collaboration with Israeli forces

17:05, 01 Mar 2026Updated 17:30, 01 Mar 2026

Trump has agreed to talks with Iran(Image: Getty Images)

Donald Trump has said he has agreed to talks with Iran after accusing the leaders of Iran of playing it "too cute" and said a deal could have been done before the attacks.

Speaking in a chat to The Atlantic, Trump said "they want to talk, and I have agreed to talk" but would not be drawn on when talks would take place.

He also said that most of the officials he has been speaking with have now been killed in the "big hit" on Iran. US and Israeli forces conducted strikes on Iran on Saturday (February 28), but sparked retaliation from the country on the Middle East.

In the phone call, Trump said: "They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them. They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long."

[A video grab image taken from footage released by the Israeli military on March 1, 2026, shows what it says are large-scale strikes on "the headquarters of the Iranian terror regime" in Tehran on March 1. The Israeli military said that it had begun striking targets deep inside Tehran, a day after a joint US-Israeli attack killed Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Photo by Handout / Israeli Army / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / SOURCE / ISRAELI ARMY" - HANDOUT - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS]

Israeli military released footage of attacks on Tehran (Image: Israeli Army/AFP via Getty Image)

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He added: Most of those people are gone. Some of the people we were dealing with are gone, because that was a bigthat was a big hit. They should have done it sooner, Michael. They could have made a deal. They shouldve done it sooner. They played too cute.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the United States, throwing the future of the Islamic Republic into doubt.

The killing of Khamenei after decades in power has sparked angry scenes in other parts of the Middle East and elsewhere, raising the risk of potential regional instability.

[This handout picture provided by the office of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him waving during a meeting with iranian people in Tehran on February 1, 2026, ahead of the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Khamenei warned on February 1 of a "regional war" if the United States attacked following heavy military deployments by Washington in the Gulf. (Photo by KHAMENEI.IR / AFP via Getty Images) / === RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HO / KHAMENEI.IR" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS ===]

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in strikes(Image: KHAMENEI.IR/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump's comments come after the US military announced that three American service members have been killed and five have been seriously injured in military operations targeting Iran.

They are the first reported American casualties since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran.

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US Central Command said on X on Sunday (March 1) that several other service personnel sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions and are in the process of being returned to duty.

The post said major combat operations will continue. It did not provide further information about the casualties and described the situation as fluid.

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