ASIa Press News. According to US Fox News on local time Thursday (August 20), US President Donald Trump pointed out a major obstacle to reaching an agreement with Iran: heavy losses among Iran’s leadership following US military operations have complicated negotiations.
The report noted that Trump said on Thursday that reaching a deal with Tehran had become more difficult since the United States had destroyed most of Iran’s military capabilities and inflicted heavy losses on its leadership. Nevertheless, he claimed that the United States was “making very good progress in its confrontation with Iran”.
In an interview with Michael Cohen on the 77 WABC radio programme, Trump stated: “We are doing very well with Iran.”
“Iran’s navy is gone, its air force is gone, and its leadership is gone. Part of the problem is that too many leaders are gone. It is not easy to strike a deal. Nobody knows who is in charge now,” Trump said.
Trump stated that the core objective of the US operation was to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“I think the public sees what we are doing, because Iran can never have nuclear weapons. We have to act in the Middle East, for we cannot allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons,” he said.
Trump went on to say: “They are reckless. If such a country possessed nuclear weapons, they would not hesitate to use them.”
Trump also mentioned the deployment of B‑2 bombers and remarked: “I stopped all of this, and I stopped it completely with B‑2 bombers.”
He added: “They could have destroyed Israel and the entire Middle East region.”
These remarks show that while Trump highlighted achievements of US military operations, he also acknowledged that severe damage to Iran’s internal power structure could bring new uncertainties for future diplomatic negotiations.
Trump has repeatedly stated previously that the primary goal of US policy toward Iran is to stop its nuclear‑weapons development and weaken its military influence across the Middle East. His reference to Iran’s “gone leadership” suggests he believes Iran currently lacks a decision‑making core authorised to conduct effective negotiations on behalf of its government.
Analysts, however, point out that while military strikes may cripple Iran’s military installations and command systems, they may also heighten regional instability. Iran features a sophisticated political and security architecture including state organs, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other powerful agencies. Changes in leadership do not necessarily bring about immediate shifts in policy direction.
The United States and Iran have long held profound disagreements over the nuclear issue. Washington demands Iran curb nuclear activities and guarantee it cannot produce nuclear weapons. Tehran, by contrast, consistently insists its nuclear programme serves peaceful purposes and rejects external pressure. Past negotiations on nuclear accords have repeatedly reached deadlock amid insufficient mutual trust.
Current outside‑world focus centres on whether the United States can push forward new diplomatic arrangements after Iran’s military and political systems have sustained blows, and whether Iran will choose to resume negotiations or adopt tougher counter‑measures. Subsequent developments may affect regional security conditions, oil prices and global energy markets.