Trump: Iran is holding talks with us, and we struck it with great force, completely destroying its air force

U.S. President Donald Trump revealed that Iran is currently holding talks with the United States and is eager to reach an agreement. Adding to his remarks during a speech at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which was held under tight security measures, Trump said, “I don’t think Iran is ready to strike a deal right now, but I’m ready to listen.” He continued, “We hit Iran very hard, and we completely destroyed their air force, including 250 warplanes,” noting that Iran has very few drones left. Trump stressed that “Iran would have used a nuclear weapon if it had one.”

Regarding domestic issues in the United States, Trump stated, “In the United States, we believe in freedom of speech, we resolve our differences through dialogue, and we do not give in to political violence.”

This was the second time the dinner was held this year. The previous event, scheduled for April, was canceled after Trump was evacuated from the venue when a gunman attempted to breach his residence at the Washington Hilton Hotel, opening fire at a security checkpoint outside the ballroom. This time, police and National Guard personnel closed off surrounding roads and established a wide security perimeter, while the event was moved from the Hilton to the Waldorf Astoria.

The new evening’s program included segments similar to the original celebration, featuring a performance by comedian Oz Pearlman and honoring a Secret Service agent who helped stop the suspect during the April shooting.

The dinner was not without humorous moments. Trump joked about the possibility of serving a third presidential term, saying, “This room probably has the largest group of people with Trump mania.” He also remarked, “This evening hasn’t been easy, with all these awards,” referring to the prizes given to journalists for their reporting on the Republican president’s second term. He again discussed the possibility of seeking a third term, despite the U.S. Constitution prohibiting it, while emphasizing that he was joking. “Just like my presidencies, the second term is always the best, and the third is even better,” he said, before adding, “I’m just kidding.”

He continued joking later, pulling out a red hat that read “Trump 2028,” and said, “I’m happy to announce my intentions, and I’m beating the press to it somewhat: I’m running for a fourth term as President of the United States.” Trump even good-naturedly mocked his speechwriters when certain lines failed to elicit a response from the audience.

Trump concluded his hour-long speech by saying he held “great respect” for the journalists present, before addressing them directly: “You don’t realize how lucky you are. When I leave, you’ll all be bankrupt. Your businesses will collapse. When I’m not around, there’s no one left to write stories about.”

Earlier, the U.S. president said that Iranians are now more serious about negotiating and speaking with his administration “than ever before,” while affirming his readiness to increase the pace of military operations against Iran if these talks fail. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump added, “I think there’s an increase in the level of seriousness on the Iranian side in talks with us as days go by, and perhaps the reason is clear,” referring to the naval blockade and military strikes.

He explained that “there is a path I consider the smarter one, which is reaching an agreement, and the other is probably the easier path, which is strikes and continuing what we’re currently doing, and we can ramp up the pace to a much higher level if we want,” while confirming his readiness to increase military strikes against Iran if necessary. However, he qualified this by saying, “But we are talking to them, so we’ll see what these talks yield, and I think the Iranians are extremely serious in the current discussions.”

He reiterated that Iranians “cannot have a nuclear weapon,” adding that “if the Iranian side merely entertains the idea of possessing a nuclear weapon, we will continue to escalate to much higher levels… We are currently conducting talks and we’ll see how things develop.”