Trump says he is not trying to force Iran into talks and urges Iranians to rise up

Donald Trump said he was not trying to force Iran to return to the negotiating table, but his message to the Iranian public was direct: rise up against the government in Tehran.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump rejected a report by ABC that Washington was pressuring Iran into talks. He said he did not care whether Iran signed an agreement that offered it no value.

Trump said he now favored Washington’s position, citing what he described as “almost total control of the Strait of Hormuz” and Iran’s economy “collapsing completely.” He then asked when the Iranian people would “rise up and fight.”

“

I am not trying to force Iran to sit at the negotiating table, as reported by ABC Fake News. I could not care less if they sign an agreement that is worthless to them.

The comments followed the resumption of attacks between Washington and Tehran after nearly a month without hostilities. The Trump administration has also announced an economic pressure campaign against Iran that includes sanctions. The U.S. military bombed Iran for the second time in a week as tensions increased around the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian attacks targeted U.S. bases.

The latest escalation has overshadowed diplomatic efforts to normalize maritime traffic through the strait, six months after the war began. Trump said a day earlier that Iran’s government was in “total chaos” and “incapable” of representing the country. He also claimed that more than 100,000 people had been killed in protests against Iran’s leadership.

“

I like our position much better now, with almost total control of the Strait of Hormuz and its economy collapsing completely. They are only prolonging the inevitable. When will the Iranian people rise up and fight?