Trump Warns of Total Destruction If Iran Deal Not Reached

President Donald Trump said Sunday that Lebanon is not part of the U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations, and warned that if no deal is reached, Iran will face total destruction, while offering a striking personal assessment of Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, calling him younger and "more rational" than his late father.

Trump said he is finding Iran's new leadership to be "more rational, very smart" following the U.S.-Israel strikes that killed former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and many of his lieutenants. Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since the war began, is "part of" the approval process for any deal, Trump said, adding that he is open to direct talks with the new supreme leader. "I would if he'd like to," Trump said, "but I have not spoken to him directly."

Trump favorably compared the younger Khamenei to his father. "Younger. I think more rational," he said. "Injured. He's pretty badly injured. So there's a certain bravery there. A lot of people, if they were injured that badly, wouldn't be talking about, you know, 'How are we doing with the United States?' They'd have other things on their mind."

Mojtaba Khamenei has spent months in hiding as a designated military target, communicating through courier networks with days-long response times, after being wounded and reportedly disfigured in the February 28 strike that killed his father. His wife and one of his children were also killed in the same strike.

On Lebanon, Trump maintained the position he has held since the April ceasefire with Iran: Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire agreement "because of Hezbollah" but will "get taken care of," describing Israel's ongoing strikes there as "a separate skirmish."

According to NBC though, Trump did say that Lebanon is part of wider discussions.

The remarks carry fresh significance on a day when Israel struck Hezbollah command posts in Beirut's Dahiyeh neighborhood in response to rocket fire toward northern Israel, the latest escalation on a front that has repeatedly strained U.S.-Israeli relations. Last week, Trump reportedly berated Prime Minister Netanyahu in an expletive-laden call over Israeli strikes in Lebanon, with Axios reporting Trump called Netanyahu "f---ing crazy" for risking the Iran negotiations.

Trump said he will not be rushed into a bad deal, and that the U.S. blockade of Iran could last through Labor Day, though he expressed optimism. "I think this will resolve itself," he said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio separately told Congress there are "indications" that Mojtaba Khamenei is "increasingly engaging, at some level" with negotiations, while also confirming that Iran has not been offered sanctions relief in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.