They should have done it before. They got too clever.
En un momento en que los bombardeos aún resuenan sobre ciudades iraníes, Donald Trump anuncia desde Mar-a-Lago que ha aceptado dialogar con el nuevo liderazgo de Irán, surgido tras la muerte del ayatolá Jamenei. La paradoja es elocuente: algunos de los negociadores iraníes con quienes Washington trataba han muerto en los mismos ataques que, según Trump, allanan el camino hacia la paz. La historia registra este instante como uno de esos umbrales en que la diplomacia y la destrucción avanzan de la mano, sin que ninguna de las dos reconozca a la otra.
- La muerte del ayatolá Jamenei ha abierto un vacío de poder en Teherán que Trump interpreta como una oportunidad, pero también como una herida abierta que complica cualquier negociación.
- La campaña de bombardeos conjunta entre Estados Unidos e Israel ha eliminado a varios de los negociadores iraníes, dejando a ambas partes sin los interlocutores que conocían el terreno diplomático.
- Trump afirma que el nuevo liderazgo iraní ha pedido hablar y que él ha aceptado, pero se niega a precisar cuándo comenzarán esas conversaciones, manteniendo la incertidumbre como herramienta de presión.
- En las calles de ciudades iraníes conviven celebraciones de opositores al régimen y la caída de bombas, una imagen que el presidente cita con satisfacción pero que revela la fragilidad del momento.
- De cara a las elecciones de noviembre, Trump descarta que los ataques dañen la economía o su capital político, aunque la subida del precio del petróleo y el coste humano de la operación siguen siendo interrogantes sin respuesta.
Donald Trump anunció el domingo que ha aceptado mantener conversaciones con el nuevo liderazgo iraní, instalado tras la muerte del ayatolá Alí Jamenei. Hablando por teléfono desde su residencia de Mar-a-Lago, el presidente describió el acercamiento como algo que Irán debería haber buscado mucho antes. "Deberían haberlo hecho antes. Se pusieron demasiado listos", dijo, sin precisar cuándo comenzarían los contactos.
La sombra de los bombardeos recientes planeó sobre toda la conversación. Trump reconoció que varios de los negociadores iraníes con quienes Washington había tratado en rondas anteriores han muerto en la campaña militar conjunta con Israel iniciada el sábado. Lejos de presentarlo como un obstáculo, lo enunció casi como un dato de contexto: "La mayoría de esas personas ya no están. Ha sido un golpe importante."
Cuando se le preguntó si los ataques podrían debilitar o fortalecer a la oposición interna iraní, Trump evitó responder directamente, aunque expresó confianza en que un levantamiento popular contra la República Islámica tendría éxito. Citó celebraciones en las calles de ciudades iraníes y el entusiasmo de la diáspora en Nueva York y Los Ángeles como señales alentadoras, sin detenerse en la contradicción de que esas mismas ciudades estaban siendo bombardeadas.
En el plano doméstico, Trump rechazó que la operación militar fuera a perjudicar al Partido Republicano en las elecciones de noviembre y minimizó el riesgo de un alza sostenida en los precios del petróleo. Aprovechó el momento para reivindicar su gestión económica y quejarse de la cobertura mediática. La imagen que dejó la conversación fue la de un presidente que mantiene abiertas simultáneamente la puerta de la guerra y la de la diplomacia, sin sentir la necesidad de explicar cómo ambas pueden coexistir.
Donald Trump announced on Sunday that Iran's new leadership, installed following Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death, has requested direct talks with Washington—and that he has agreed to them. Speaking by phone from his Mar-a-Lago estate to The Atlantic, Trump framed the overture as overdue. "They want to talk and I've agreed to talk, so we're going to talk with them," he said. "They should have done it before. They should have given in earlier on something that is very practical and easy. They've waited too long."
When pressed on timing—whether these conversations would begin today or tomorrow—Trump declined to specify. "I can't tell you that," he said, pivoting instead to a darker observation: some of the Iranian negotiators involved in previous talks are now dead, killed in the recent U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign. "Most of those people are gone now. Some of the people we were dealing with are no longer there because it's been big. It's been a major strike," Trump noted. He added, almost dismissively, "They should have done it before. They got too clever."
The president was also asked whether the bombing campaign, which began Saturday, would affect the appetite of Iran's internal opposition to overthrow the government. Trump sidestepped a direct answer. "I have to study the situation when it passes. You can't answer that question," he said. Yet he expressed confidence that an uprising against the Islamic Republic would succeed, citing street celebrations in Iranian cities and the support of Iranian expatriates in places like New York and Los Angeles. He seemed satisfied by what he interpreted as popular approval. "People are shouting in the streets with joy, but at the same time a lot of bombs are falling," he observed.
Trump also addressed domestic concerns about the military operation's impact on the midterm elections scheduled for November. He insisted the Iran strikes would not affect electoral prospects and used the moment to tout his economic record. "We have the best economy the country has ever had," he said, adding a complaint about media coverage. "You don't hear about it more because people like you don't write about it properly, but the economy is through the roof and in some cases already has been." He downplayed worries about oil price spikes resulting from the strikes. "It could have caused a big increase in oil prices if things had gone badly," he reasoned. "We'll see what happens. People have been wanting this for 47 years. They've been killing people for 47 years and now it's come back on them."
The conversation revealed a president simultaneously pursuing military escalation and diplomatic opening—a contradiction Trump did not acknowledge. The timing raises questions about whether the bombing campaign, which has already eliminated some of the very people who might negotiate on Iran's behalf, was designed to weaken Tehran's negotiating position or to clear the way for talks with a new, perhaps more compliant leadership. Trump's refusal to specify when talks might begin, combined with his emphasis on the lethality of the recent strikes, suggested the diplomatic door was open but not urgent.
Citas Notables
They want to talk and I've agreed to talk, so we're going to talk with them. They should have done it before.— Donald Trump, in a phone interview with The Atlantic
Most of those people are gone now. Some of the people we were dealing with are no longer there because it's been big. It's been a major strike.— Trump, referring to Iranian negotiators killed in recent bombing
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why would Trump agree to talks with Iran's new leadership right after bombing them?
Because the old leadership is gone. Khamenei is dead. The people Trump was negotiating with before are dead too—killed in the strikes. So from his perspective, there's a clean slate. A new team that might be more willing to deal.
But doesn't bombing a country before negotiations usually make them less willing to talk?
Normally, yes. But Trump seems to believe the opposite—that the strikes weakened Iran enough that the new leadership has no choice but to negotiate. He's betting on desperation.
He mentioned people celebrating in the streets. Is that real?
There were celebrations in some Iranian cities after Khamenei's death. Whether they represent genuine popular support for U.S. strikes or just relief at the end of an era—that's harder to say. Trump is interpreting them as validation.
What about the oil price concern? He seemed dismissive of it.
He's protecting himself politically. If gas prices spike before November, it hurts him. So he's preemptively arguing it won't happen—or that if it does, it's worth it because Iran has been "killing people for 47 years."
Do you think these talks will actually happen?
Trump won't say when. That's telling. It could mean they're imminent, or it could mean they're theoretical—a way to look statesmanlike while the military campaign continues. The fact that he killed the negotiators suggests he's not in a hurry.