Trump agrees to speak to Iran’s interim leadership: The Atlantic

President Trump on Sunday reportedly said he has agreed to speak to Iran’s new leadership after the U.S. and Israel’s joint strikes killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader, on Saturday.

“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,” Trump told The Atlantic’s Michael Scherer in a Sunday morning interview, declining to state the timing of any call.

Earlier Sunday, Iran named its interim leadership team as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Guardian Council jurist member Ayatollah Alireza Arafi and Gholam Hossein Mohseni Eje’i, the head of the Iranian judiciary.

The U.S. and Israel began launching strikes across Iran early Saturday. The mission, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” has resulted in the deaths of at least 200 Iranians, the country’s Red Crescent told state media Saturday.

Aside from Khamenei, several other high-profile Iranian officials, including Ali Shamkani, the leader of the national defense council and Mohammad Pakpour, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, were killed in the attacks.

“Most of those people are gone. Some of the people we were dealing with are gone, because that was a big—that was a big hit,” Trump told The Atlantic. “They should have done it sooner, Michael. They could have made a deal. They should’ve done it sooner. They played too cute.”

Although the Pezeshkian, Arafi and Eje’i will lead Tehran in the interim, an 88-member panel known as the Assemply of Experts “must” pick a new supreme leader “as soon as possible” under Iranian law.

Saturday’s strike marked a stark escalation amid simmering tensions between the U.S. and Iran over its nuclear program. Trump, ahead of this weekend’s military action, had expressed frustration with how negotiations with Tehran were progessing.

In recent weeks, the Trump administration had amassed a massive military presence in the region. Three U.S. servicemembers were killed during Saturday’s military operation, per Central Command.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

More Administration News

Cannabis hyperemesis syndrome is on the rise: What symptoms to watch for

Live updates: Trump warns Iran against retaliation; 3 US servicemembers killed

A big change is coming to Social Security that beneficiaries may not notice

Kelly says its ‘unlikely’ he backs War Powers Resolution

Trump seeks regime change after strike on Iran, say supreme leader Khamenei is ...

Cuba faces ‘zero hour’ as Trump, Rubio put squeeze on regime

3 US servicemembers killed in Iran military operation: CENTCOM

5 things to watch in Tuesday’s Texas primaries

How US strikes on Iran could trigger a wider war with its proxies

Iranian president, supreme leader believed to be alive after US attack: Iran FM

Democrats warn GOP that Bill and Hillary Clinton testimony will boomerang on ...

Senate Democrat: Trump pick ‘not qualified’ to lead National Security Agency

Oman foreign minister expresses dismay at US strikes on Iran: ‘This is not ...

Hegseth cancels troop attendance at top-ranked schools

US-Israeli strikes on Iran result in Khamenei’s death: 5 things to know

FEMA releasing billions in disaster assistance, while further funds await ...

Was this Trump’s last State of the Union? 

Marjorie Taylor Greene blasts Trump’s Iran strikes

© The Hill