Trump says 'we're talking' to Iran but it's not 'ready' for deal to end war

## Summary
Advertisement World Trump says 'we're talking' to Iran but it's not 'ready' for deal to end war Trump said he was not sure he wanted to make a deal to end the war "because first of all nobody even knows who you're dealing with, because most of their leadership has been killed". Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Sunday (Mar 15) that the United States was in discussions with Iran as the war entered its third week, but that Tehran was not ready for a deal to end it. "Yes, we're talking to them," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, without detailing the nature of such talks, when asked if there was any diplomacy underway to end a conflict that has spread across the Middle East and roiled global markets. "But I don't think they're ready. CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less Trump said he was not sure he wanted to make a deal to end the war "because first of all nobody even knows who you're dealing with, because most of their leadership has been killed". We are only defending our people," Araghchi told CBS's Face The Nation, in an interview aired Sunday. "We don't see any reason why we should talk with Americans, because we were talking with them when they decided to attack us," he said. "There is no good experience talking with Americans." Related: Trump warns NATO, presses China to help reopen Strait of Hormuz: Report Israel says thousands of targets left as Iran warns others to avoid war Source: AFP/fh Sign up for our newsletters Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Subscribe here Get the CNA app Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Download here Get WhatsApp alerts Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app Join here Related Topics Donald Trump Iran United States Advertisement Also worth reading Content is loading...

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Trump says 'we're talking' to Iran but it's not 'ready' for deal to end war
Trump said he was not sure he wanted to make a deal to end the war "because first of all nobody even knows who you're dealing with, because most of their leadership has been killed".
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on a flight back to Washington, Mar 15, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
16 Mar 2026 09:45AM
(Updated: 16 Mar 2026 10:44AM)
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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Sunday (Mar 15) that the United States was in discussions with Iran as the war entered its third week, but that Tehran was not ready for a deal to end it.
"Yes, we're talking to them," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, without detailing the nature of such talks, when asked if there was any diplomacy underway to end a conflict that has spread across the Middle East and roiled global markets.
"But I don't think they're ready. But they are getting pretty close," Trump said.
Iran's foreign minister had denied earlier that any talks with the United States were taking place.
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Trump said he was not sure he wanted to make a deal to end the war "because first of all nobody even knows who you're dealing with, because most of their leadership has been killed".
Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei
, and dozens of other Iranian officials
died on the first day of the US-Israeli attacks on Feb 28
.
Trump insisted, however, that "they want to make a deal badly".
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran was not interested in talks with the United States, pushing back on Trump's stance.
"We are stable and strong enough. We are only defending our people," Araghchi told CBS's Face The Nation, in an interview aired Sunday.
"We don't see any reason why we should talk with Americans, because we were talking with them when they decided to attack us," he said. "There is no good experience talking with Americans."
Related:
Trump warns NATO, presses China to help reopen Strait of Hormuz: Report
Israel says thousands of targets left as Iran warns others to avoid war
Source: AFP/fh
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran was not interested in talks with the United States, pushing back on Trump's stance. "We are stable and strong enough.

### Areas for Consideration
- CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less Trump said he was not sure he wanted to make a deal to end the war "because first of all nobody even knows who you're dealing with, because most of their leadership has been killed".

### Implications
- We are only defending our people," Araghchi told CBS's Face The Nation, in an interview aired Sunday. "We don't see any reason why we should talk with Americans, because we were talking with them when they decided to attack us," he said. "There is no good experience talking with Americans." Related: Trump warns NATO, presses China to help reopen Strait of Hormuz: Report Israel says thousands of targets left as Iran warns others to avoid war Source: AFP/fh Sign up for our newsletters Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Subscribe here Get the CNA app Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Download here Get WhatsApp alerts Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app Join here Related Topics Donald Trump Iran United States Advertisement Also worth reading Content is loading...

### Expert Commentary
This article covers trump, iran, fast topics. Notable strengths include discussion of trump. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 583.