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WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 06: U.S. President Donald Trump looks on during a roundtable discussion on college sports in the East Room of the White House on March 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. The Trump administration held the roundtable titled "Saving College Sports" with leaders from the Power Four conferences, media executives and former coaches. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) (Image: Anna Moneymaker, Getty Images)
Donald Trump revealed he has dismissed a ceasefire request put forward by Iran, ignoring appeals from the United Nations and world leaders to lay down arms.
Trump stated that despite Iran's apparent readiness for a ceasefire, he had declined as the deal presented wasn't appealing enough.
"Iran wants to make a deal, and I don't want to make it because the terms aren't good enough yet," he said, adding any terms would need to be "very solid" for the US to engage in negotiations. When questioned by NBC News about what terms he would accept to end the war, the 47th President of the United States responded: "I don't want to say that to you."
He did concede, however, that Iran would need to abandon any nuclear ambitions the nation may still harbour to secure a deal.
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I dont know if hes even alive. So far, nobodys been able to show him, Trump said (Image: (Image: Getty))
He did inform NBC that the only power Iran possesses, "is the power of dropping a mine or firing a relatively short-range missile", reports the Mirror.
Trump further stated: "But when we get finished with the shoreline, they're not going to have that power either."
He later declared: "We've knocked out most of their missiles. We've knocked out most of their drones. We knocked out their manufacturing of missiles and drones, largely. Within two days, it'll be totally decimated."
He also informed NBC that US airstrikes had "totally demolished" most of Iran's Kharg Island, before boasting that the American military " may hit it a few more times just for fun".
Trump revealed his theory during a phone call on Saturday (Image: (Image: Jake Paul/YouTube))
Trump's assertion that Iran has requested a ceasefire contradicts analysis by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a non-partisan, non-profit, public policy research organisation that promotes an informed understanding of military affairs through research, analysis, and education. According to the ISW: "Neither Iran nor the United States is prepared to hold discussions to reach a ceasefire despite mediation efforts by Oman and Egypt, according to Iranian, regional, and White House officials speaking to Reuters on March 14."
In its summary of the war for March 14, the ISW continued: "Three sources familiar with the efforts told Reuters that the Trump administration rejected efforts by Middle Eastern allies, including Oman and Egypt, to start diplomatic talks to end the war with Iran."
Meanwhile, in the same NBC interview, Trump also asserted that he has been informed Iran's new Supreme Leader is "not alive". Trump added that if he is indeed alive, he should surrender.
Trump's claims about Mojtaba Khamenei come following the newly appointed Ayatollah's failure to appear on camera before his nation on Thursday, as was expected. Khamenei, son of the Islamic Republic's last supreme leader bearing the same name, was scheduled to deliver his first address as leader.
However, Khamenei failed to make an appearance, sparking global speculation about his whereabouts and health status. Trump told NBC: "I don't know if he's even alive. So far, nobody's been able to show him."
He continued: "I'm hearing he's not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that's surrender."
An anonymous source within Tehran, the Iranian capital, reported that Khamenei, 56, allegedly lost at least one leg and sustained serious abdominal or liver injuries during a strike by the US or Israel, according to The Sun.
The source provided numerous details regarding the new leader's alleged medical condition, treatment, location and security arrangements. According to the source, he is being treated at Sina University Hospital in the city's historic quarter, where an area has been cordoned off and heavily guarded.
TOPSHOT - US President Donald Trump (L) dances to the Village People's song YMCA as (L/R) House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Conference Chair Lisa McClain applaud during the Republican Members Issues Conference at Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida, on March 9, 2026. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images) (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Iranian state television has acknowledged that Khamenei sustained injuries in recent explosions, and the unnamed source's assertions cannot be independently verified, partly due to Iran's ongoing internet shutdown. In an interview with the Associated Press, Türkiye's foreign minister Hakan Fidan said he does not know the extent of Khamenei's wounds but "what we know is that he is alive and functioning".
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Fidan's remarks follow claims by Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, who said there was "no problem" with the Islamic republic's new supreme leader. Those assertions came after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Iranian leader is "wounded and likely disfigured".
Iran this week appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as its new Supreme Leader following an airstrike which killed his father, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on day one of the Middle Eastern war.
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