ToplinePresident Donald Trump said Tuesday his goal of regime change in Iran is complete—while also saying he doesn’t know who the new leader is—continuing his renewed optimistic rhetoric regarding Iran, despite continued strikes and reports of new deployments to the Middle East. U.S. President Donald Trump takes questions during a ceremony for newly sworn in U.S. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin in the Oval Office at the White House on March 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)Getty ImagesKey FactsTrump told reporters Tuesday, “we really had regime change. This is a change in the regime, because the leaders are all different.”Israel killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in its initial wave of strikes with the U.S. on Feb. 28, and Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was appointed to replace him, though Trump has also said it’s unclear if the younger Khamenei is alive. Trump also repeated his claim that Iran has “agreed they will never have a nuclear weapon,” saying, “they’d like to make a deal,” though Iran has said publicly negotiations with the U.S. are nonexistent. Prohibiting Iran from ever having a nuclear weapon and regime change were two of Trump’s initial conditions for ending the war.The comments come after Trump announced Monday Iran and the U.S. were in talks for a “total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East,” vowing to hold off on attacking Iran’s major energy sites for five days while negotiations continued. While Iran denied talks with the U.S., four unnamed Iranian officials and an Iranian diplomat reportedly told The New York Times the two sides were engaged in some form of dialogue through intermediaries. TangentTrump also said Iran gifted the U.S. with a “very big present worth a tremendous amount of money” that arrived Tuesday, adding, “it wasn’t nuclear-related, it was oil- and gas-related, and it was a very nice thing they did, but what it showed me is we’re dealing with the right people.”Key BackgroundTrump’s optimistic tone in recent days is the latest shift in rhetoric regarding the war in Iran. He threatened Saturday to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if it didn’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, before extending the deadline on Monday. Meanwhile, the U.S. military is building up its presence in the Middle East and is preparing to deploy 3,000 soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the region, multiple outlets reported this week. Further ReadingHere’s Why The U.S. Could Seize Kharg Island In War With Iran—And Why It Might Backfire (Forbes)Trump Wants $200 Billion More For Iran War. Here's What Else That Could Fund. (Forbes)Iran Denies ‘Productive’ Talks Hyped By Trump—Accuses Him Of Manipulating Markets (Forbes)