Iran denies Trump’s claim of officials seeking White House meeting

Iran has denied Donald Trump’s claim that Iranian officials asked for a meeting at 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,” said the Iran mission to the UN on X.

The comment comes soon after Trump said Iranian officials had reached out to him for negotiations.

“Iran does NOT negotiate under duress, shall NOT accept peace under duress, and certainly NOT with a has-been warmonger clinging to relevance,” it said, echoing previous remarks from Ali Khamenei who said Iranians “do not answer well to the language of threat”.
 

US defence secretary says ready to execute war orders

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has been asked about potential conflict with Iran during a Senate hearing.

He said he would not say in a public forum whether he had provided Trump with options on a strike against Iran.

“If and when those decisions are made [on matters of war and peace], the Department [of Defense] is prepared to execute them,” Hegseth said.