In a late Saturday phone interview with CBS News, President Trump dismissed threats from Iran’s top national-security official, Ali Larijani, saying he had little regard for Larijani’s warnings and portraying him as defeated. Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a longtime confidant of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rose to prominence after what the report described as Khamenei’s Feb. 28 killing on the first day of the war.
Asked about Larijani, Mr. Trump said he did not know who he was and that he “couldn’t care less,” adding that Larijani has already been vanquished. He characterized recent Iranian rhetoric — including Larijani’s calls that the U.S. should “pay the price” for U.S.-Israel strikes — as evidence of weakness and regional decline, and reiterated that U.S. strikes would continue until Iran gave what he called an “unconditional surrender.”
Earlier Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian posted a video apology to neighboring countries for retaliatory strikes against Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East, saying Iran would halt strikes on Persian Gulf states unless attacked. He later revised that message, asserting Iran had not targeted friendly neighboring countries and saying its strikes were aimed at U.S. military installations.
Trump accused Larijani of once trying to dominate the Middle East and suggested Larijani had backed down under pressure from other regional powers and U.S. actions. The exchange underscored uncertainty about who the United States might negotiate with as Iran’s leadership manages both American military pressure and internal strain. Alongside Larijani, an interim three-person council that includes Pezeshkian now holds a central role in Iran’s governance, according to the report.
Defending his campaign, Mr. Trump said U.S. operations have severely degraded Iran’s military capabilities and leadership. He described widespread destruction of missiles, drones, factories and naval assets, asserting that dozens of Iranian ships had been sunk or disabled. U.S. Central Command has reported at least 43 Iranian ships damaged or destroyed and more than 3,000 targets struck since the start of the war; Trump called the results “incredible,” saying the campaign was achieving unprecedented success.
On allied support, Mr. Trump said he was focused on U.S. military action and those allies who joined his approach early. When asked whether he wanted partners to contribute more, he replied that he was unconcerned if some did not, saying the loyal allies were already participating.
Mr. Trump also reacted to a Truth Social post noting the United Kingdom had readied two aircraft carriers for potential deployment, calling the move unnecessary and a late gesture. He criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for what he described as a slow response to requests to use British bases during U.S. strikes.