In an interview with CBS News on March 1st, President Trump stated that the prospects for resolving the Iran issue through diplomacy have significantly improved.

“Clearly, it’s much easier than yesterday,” Trump said, attributing this to Tehran suffering heavy losses after the attacks.

However, the US leader declined to answer whether he considered the current US and Israeli military campaign against Iran a war.

Earlier, the US and Israel launched a series of large-scale airstrikes on Saturday (February 28th), targeting multiple locations in Iran, including the capital Tehran. Initial reports indicated significant damage and numerous civilian casualties.

Iranian state television later confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the attacks. Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes targeting Israeli territory as well as US military targets in the Middle East, raising fears that conflict could further escalate in the region.