Trump Calls Iran’s Current Leaders ‘Very Reasonable’ as Pakistan Prepares to Host Talks

President Donald Trump said the US and Iran have been meeting “directly and indirectly” and that Iran’s new leaders have been “very reasonable,” as more US troops arrived in the region and Tehran warned it will not accept humiliation. The remarks came as Pakistan, which is acting as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington, said it was preparing to host “meaningful talks” in the coming days aimed at ending the month-long Iran war.

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE – Speaking to reporters on Sunday evening as he traveled to Washington, President Trump struck an optimistic tone about the prospects for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict that has engulfed the Middle East for the past month. “I think we’ll make a deal with them, I’m pretty sure, but it’s possible we won’t,” Trump said.

Trump said he thought the US had already accomplished regime change in Tehran after strikes killed the country’s supreme leader and other top officials, but said twice that their replacements seemed “reasonable.” An initial Israeli strike on February 28 killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was replaced by his son Mojtaba.

“We have been meeting with them directly and indirectly,” Trump said, adding that Iran’s new leadership had been “very reasonable” in their interactions.

Pakistan Positions Itself as Mediator

The president’s comments came as Pakistan stepped up its diplomatic efforts to broker an end to the conflict. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said talks between regional foreign ministers on Sunday covered ways to bring an early end to the war, and potential US-Iran talks in Islamabad.

“Pakistan will be honoured to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in the coming days, for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the ongoing conflict,” Dar said. It was not clear whether the US and Iran had agreed to attend.

Pakistan has been acting as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington, relaying messages and exploring potential pathways to a ceasefire. The diplomatic push gained momentum after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formally offered to host talks—an offer Trump reposted on his Truth Social platform.

Iran’s Warning: ‘We Will Never Accept Humiliation’

Despite Trump’s optimism, Iranian officials struck a defiant tone. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf accused the US of sending messages about possible negotiations while at the same time planning a ground invasion. Tehran was ready to respond if US soldiers were deployed, he said.

“As long as the Americans seek Iran’s surrender, our response is that we will never accept humiliation,” Qalibaf said in a message to the nation.

The warning came as the US Department of Defense dispatched thousands of troops to the Middle East, giving Trump the option of launching a ground offensive. Several hundred special operations personnel have arrived in the region, the New York Times reported, on top of thousands of US Marines who arrived Friday aboard an amphibious assault ship.

Trump Eyes Kharg Island

In an interview with the Financial Times published Sunday, Trump said he wants to “take the oil in Iran” and could seize the export hub of Kharg Island. The island, located off the west coast of Iran, handles 90% of Iran’s oil exports. Seizing it would give the United States the ability to severely disrupt Iran’s energy trade, placing enormous pressure on Tehran’s economy.

When asked about the state of Iranian defense on the island, Trump said, “I don’t think they have any defense. We could take it very easily.”

The threat came as about 2,500 US Marines arrived in the region, with the Pentagon reportedly considering military options that could include ground forces. However, Trump has not approved any of those plans, according to multiple news outlets.

Israeli Strikes Continue

An Israeli official said there was no intention to scale back attacks against Iran ahead of any possible talks between Washington and Tehran, and that Israel would continue carrying out strikes against what it described as military targets.

Israel’s military said it had launched over 140 air strikes on central and western Iran, including Tehran, over the 24 hours to Sunday evening, hitting ballistic missile launch sites and storage facilities, among other targets. Iranian state media reported strikes had hit Mehrabad airport and a petrochemical plant in the northern city of Tabriz.

Early Monday, the Israeli military said its air defenses were responding to “missiles launched from Iran.” A chemical plant in southern Israel near the city of Beersheba was hit by a missile or missile debris as Israel fended off multiple salvos from Iran, prompting official warnings to the public to stay away due to “hazardous materials.”

The Houthi Front

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis joined the conflict on Saturday, launching their first attacks on Israel and raising the prospect they could target and thus block a second key shipping route, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Israeli authorities said on Sunday that they had intercepted two drones launched from Yemen.

The Houthi entry into the conflict adds a new dimension to the war, threatening the Red Sea shipping lane that, along with the Strait of Hormuz, is critical to global energy supplies.

Economic Fallout

Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which carries 20% of global oil and gas shipments, has spiked oil prices and spread economic pain around the world. Brent crude futures jumped $3.09, or 2.74%, to $115.66 a barrel, heading for a record monthly rise.

Stocks slumped in Asia on Monday as investors dug in for a protracted Gulf conflict. Japan’s Nikkei index was down 4.7%.

Domestic Opposition in the US

As Trump contemplates military options, he faces significant domestic opposition. The majority of Americans are opposed to the war and a military escalation, which would risk a protracted crisis and likely weigh further on Trump’s already low approval ratings ahead of the November midterm elections for Congress.

Over the weekend, “No Kings” protests filled streets across the United States, with demonstrators decrying the war in Iran and what they called authoritarian overreach. The protests drew millions of participants in all 50 states, marking the third major mobilization against Trump’s policies since last year.

Analysis: A Critical Juncture

Trump’s characterization of Iran’s new leaders as “very reasonable” marks a significant shift in tone from the administration’s previous rhetoric. Whether that shift reflects genuine diplomatic progress or a strategic recalculation remains to be seen.

For Iran, the challenge is to balance its stated refusal to accept “humiliation” with the reality of sustained military pressure. The US has three aircraft carriers in or en route to the region, thousands of Marines have arrived, and Trump has openly discussed seizing Iran’s primary oil export hub.

For Pakistan, the stakes are high. Success in brokering talks would cement Islamabad’s status as a key regional mediator. But the window for diplomacy may be closing, with both sides signaling that they are prepared to escalate further.

As the war enters its second month, the contrast between Trump’s optimism about a deal and Iran’s warnings about humiliation captures the uncertainty of the moment. The diplomats meeting in Islamabad have their work cut out for them. Whether they can bridge the gap between Washington and Tehran will determine whether the coming days bring a ceasefire or a further escalation of a conflict that has already reshaped the Middle East.