Iran hits back at Donald Trump in fiery tirade over White House meeting claim: ‘Warmonger clinging to relevance'
ran has firmly denied US President Donald Trump's assertion that officials from the Islamic Republic had suggested sending a delegation to the White House for negotiations. In a sharp rebuke, the Iranian Mission to the United Nations said Tehran would not negotiate 'under duress.'
'No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House,' the mission posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Responding to Trump's remarks made earlier on Wednesday, the Iranian mission issued a strongly worded statement, rejecting both the premise and tone of the US President's comments.
'Iran does NOT negotiate under duress, shall NOT accept peace under duress, and certainly NOT with a has-been warmonger clinging to relevance,' the statement read.
The mission also condemned Trump's threat to 'take out' Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calling it 'cowardly.'
'The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat,' the Iranian statement continued.
'Iran shall respond to any threat with a counter-threat, and to any action with reciprocal measures.'
Earlier in the day, President Trump told reporters at the White House that Iran was now eager to reopen nuclear negotiations and had even proposed a visit to Washington.
'They even suggested they would come to the White House. That is courageous and not easy for them to do,' Trump said.
'Why didn't they negotiate two weeks ago? They could have done fine… It is very sad to watch this.'
Despite claiming Iran had reached out for talks, Trump added a note of skepticism about the timing.
'It is very late to be talking,' he said. 'There is a big difference between now and a week ago.'
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei directly responded to Trump's demand for 'unconditional surrender' in a televised speech on Wednesday, stating that Iran will not give in to pressure.
'The Islamic Republic will not surrender,' Khamenei declared.
'If the U.S. takes military action, it will undoubtedly cause irreparable consequences to them.'
When asked by reporters whether he was planning a strike against Iran, Trump gave a characteristically ambiguous reply.
'You don't know that I'm going to even do it. You don't know; I may do it. I may not do it. Nobody knows what I'm going to do,' he said.
'Iran's got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
Operation Sindhu: First rescue flight carrying 110 Indian students lands in Delhi; evacuated from war-hit Iran via Armenia
Over 100 students boarding flight to leave Iran NEW DELHI: The first evacuation flight carrying 110 Indian citizens, as part of Operation Sindhu, landed in New Delhi from Yerevan, Armenia, on Thursday, amid the escalating military conflict between Iran and Israel. India launched Operation Sindhu, a mission aimed at ensuring the safety and evacuation of Indian nationals from Iran. The ministry of external affairs confirmed that Indian students residing in Tehran were safely evacuated from the city through coordination by the Indian Embassy. "Indian students in Tehran have been moved out of the city for safety reasons through arrangements made by the Indian Embassy," stated the ministry in their official communication. The Indian students left Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan via a special flight at 14:55 IST on June 18, with their expected arrival in New Delhi during the early hours of June 19. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal announced through Twitter, "Operation Sindhu begins. India launched Operation Sindhu to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran. India evacuated 110 students from northern Iran who crossed into Armenia under the supervision of our Missions in Iran and Armenia on 17th June. They departed from Yerevan on a special flight and will arrive in New Delhi in the early hours of 19th June 2025. India accords the highest priority to the safety and security of her nationals abroad." The Indian authorities expressed appreciation to Iranian and Armenian governments for their support in the evacuation process. The MEA stated in an official release that the Indian Embassy in Iran has been supporting numerous Indian nationals to relocate from conflict-affected regions to safer locations within Iran, while arranging their subsequent evacuation through available options. The ministry emphasised its commitment to protecting Indian citizens abroad and advised those remaining in Iran to maintain contact with the Indian Embassy in Tehran and the MEA's round-the-clock Control Room in New Delhi. Emergency contacts: Embassy of India in Tehran Call only: +98 9128109115, +98 9128109109 WhatsApp: +98 901044557, +98 9015993320, +91 8086871709 Regional Contacts: Bandar Abbas: +98 9177699036, Zahedan: +98 9396356649 Email: 24x7 Control Room, MEA, New Delhi Toll-free: 800118797 Landlines: +91-11-23012113, +91-11-23014104, +91-11-23017905 WhatsApp: +91-9968291988 Email: situationroom@ Additional phases of Operation Sindhu are anticipated to proceed as developments occur.
Mint
36 minutes ago
- Mint
Russia warns US against military aid to Israel as Donald Trump snubs Putin's mediation offer
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Wednesday (June 18) warned the United States against offering direct military aid to Israel or even speculating about such actions. In remarks to Interfax, Ryabkov said, 'We caution Washington against even speculative, hypothetical options of this kind. It would be a step that would radically destabilize the entire situation.' He emphasised Russia's active diplomatic engagement, stating, 'We are in contact with both sides. This is happening at the working level and at the political level.' US President Donald Trump revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to mediate between Israel and Iran during a phone call on June 17. Trump said he declined the offer, urging Putin to focus on his own country's war in Ukraine. 'I spoke to him yesterday. He actually offered to mediate,' Trump said. 'I said, 'Do me a favor. Mediate your own. Let's mediate Russia first, OK?'' Trump added that the call also served as a birthday greeting from Putin, who phoned him on June 16—Trump's 79th birthday. However, confusion arose over whether the conversation actually occurred. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov downplayed the claim, telling TASS: 'He was speaking figuratively. Life is so eventful right now that looking back a few days is like looking back to yesterday.' Trump continues to walk a tightrope between averting war and preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. On Wednesday, he told reporters: 'I'm not looking to fight. But if it's a choice between fighting and having a nuclear weapon, you have to do what you have to do.' He kept his plans ambiguous: 'I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do… Nothing is finished until it is finished.' He also hinted at imminent developments: 'The next week is going to be very big — maybe less than a week.' Trump claimed the US knows where Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is hiding: 'He is an easy target, but is safe there. We are not going to take him out—at least not for now.' Iran's UN mission strongly denied Trump's assertion that Iranian officials sought talks with the White House. 'No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House. The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to take out Iran's Supreme Leader,' the statement read. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed to lawmakers that the Pentagon is providing Trump with military options as the conflict intensifies. Trump warned Iran's 9.5 million citizens to flee the capital and cut short his G7 trip in Alberta, Canada, to return to Washington for urgent consultations. Despite the tensions, Trump confirmed plans to attend the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague on June 24–25: 'Yeah, I'll be going. I think so.'
India Today
42 minutes ago
- India Today
Ayatollah's nephew calls for regime's fall: No peace without disappearance
As the Israel-Iran war enters its second week, one voice from within the ruling family of Iran is offering a shocking perspective to dismantling the regime — by any means Moradkhani, the exiled nephew of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in an interview on Wednesday from his home in northern France that while he is no supporter of the war, he believes the collapse of the Islamic Republic is the only path to real that makes this regime disappear is necessary," Moradkhani said. "Now that we are at this stage, it has to be done." Moradkhani, who fled Iran in 1986 and has remained a vocal critic of his uncle's authoritarian rule, added that the military confrontation with Israel is regrettable — but inevitable under a regime unwilling to bend or reform, reports Reuters."I am deeply sad, and I regret that it has come to this... but will killing Khamenei make the regime disappear immediately? That's another question," Moradkhani said he had lost contact with his network in Iran due to an internet blackout but believed 'many Iranians were happy' to see signs of the regime weakening. "The sooner this is finished, the better," he said. "It has to end with the disappearance of the Islamic Republic. Otherwise, it will be a useless defeat, and I still think this regime will take revenge," Moradkhani escalated further as US President Donald Trump demanded Iran's 'unconditional surrender' and openly mused about killing Khamenei in social media posts. Aides say the president has privately approved military options targeting Iranian nuclear infrastructure, though he has withheld a final PRINCE REZA PAHLAVI CALLS KHAMENEI A FRIGHTENED RATEarlier, Reza Pahlavi, son of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, had issued a call for regime change in Tehran, declaring that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has "gone into hiding underground" and that the Islamic Republic is "in the process of collapsing.""The Islamic Republic has reached its end," Pahlavi said in a social media post. "What has begun is irreversible. The future is bright, and together, we will pass through this sharp turn in history."He portrayed Khamenei as a weakened, panicked leader: "Khamenei, like a frightened rat, has gone into hiding underground and has lost control of the situation.""The end of the Islamic Republic is the end of its 46-year war against the Iranian nation," Pahlavi and Iran traded missile strikes at each other for the seventh consecutive day. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected Trump's demand for unconditional surrender and Iranians jammed highways out of the capital Tehran, a city of 10 million people, as residents sought sanctuary from intensified Israeli InMust Watch
