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In a dramatic turn following sweeping military strikes, Iran leadership agrees to talks, President Donald Trump said Sunday, signaling a possible diplomatic opening just 24 hours after the United States and Israel targeted Iran’s military and political command structure.

The strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with several senior officials, marking one of the most consequential escalations in the region in decades.

“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” Trump told The Atlantic in an interview published Sunday. “They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long.”

From “Major Combat Operations” to Diplomacy

Trump’s remarks were among his first public comments since announcing on Truth Social early Saturday that the U.S. had launched what he described as “major combat operations in Iran.”

He declined to specify when discussions might occur.

“I can’t tell you that,” he said when asked whether talks would take place Sunday or later in the week, noting that several Iranian officials previously involved in negotiations were killed in the strikes.

“Most of those people are gone. Some of the people we were dealing with are gone, because that was a big — that was a big hit,” Trump said. “They should have done it sooner. They could have made a deal. They played too cute.”

The president suggested the military campaign, which he portrayed as swift and overwhelming, was long overdue.

“People have wanted to do it for 47 years,” he said. “They’ve killed people for 47 years, and now it’s reversed on them.”

“Ahead of Schedule,” Trump Says

In separate interviews Sunday, Trump told Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich that 48 leaders were killed in the coordinated strikes. Speaking to CNBC, he described the military effort as “ahead of schedule.”

“It’s moving along. It’s moving along rapidly,” Trump said in a Fox News interview. “Nobody can believe the success we’re having, 48 leaders are gone in one shot. And it’s moving along rapidly.”

The comments followed an earlier statement to The Washington Post, in which Trump framed the campaign as a bid for liberation.

“All I want is freedom for the people,” he said. “I want a safe nation, and that’s what we’re going to have.”

Uprising or Uncertainty?

Despite his confident tone, Trump stopped short of committing to an extended bombing campaign in support of a potential uprising inside Iran.

“I have to look at the situation at the time it happens,” he said. “You can’t give an answer to that question.”

He expressed optimism that public unrest could succeed, citing reports of celebrations in parts of Iran and among Iranian expatriates in the United States. But he acknowledged the volatile reality on the ground.

“Knowing it’s very dangerous, knowing I’ve told everybody to stay in place — I think it’s a very dangerous place right now,” he said. “The people over there are shouting in the streets with happiness, but at the same time, there are a lot of bombs coming down.”

As smoke lingers over Tehran and diplomatic channels tentatively reopen, the world now watches to see whether the path forward leads to negotiations — or deeper conflict.