In a striking claim, US President Donald Trump has stated that some leaders in Iran had suggested he become their supreme leader, a proposal he said he firmly rejected.

Speaking at a National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) fundraising dinner, Trump said: “There’s never been a head of a country that wanted that job less than being the head of Iran… No, thank you. I don’t want it.”

Trump also reiterated claims of negotiations with Iran, despite Tehran denying any direct dialogue with the United States.

Trump also claimed credit for perceived US successes in the Middle East, asserting that behind-the-scenes negotiations are ongoing and that Iran is eager for a ceasefire.

He observed that Tehran is hesitant to publicly acknowledge talks due to fear of internal backlash.

“We are achieving a great success, unlike anything seen before. Iran is negotiating and wants a deal, but they fear their own people… and they fear us as well,” Trump said.

“They’re afraid to say it because they figure they’ll be killed by their own people… They’re also afraid they’ll be killed by us,” he said.

Referring to US military action against Iran, he described Tehran’s nuclear ambitions as a “cancer” that needed to be “cut out.”

He criticised previous US administrations for avoiding decisive action over the past 47 years and justified his approach as necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

“In the short term, what we had to do was get rid of the cancer… The cancer was Iran with a nuclear weapon. We have cut it out. Now we are going to finish it off,” he said.

However, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi dismissed the notion of direct negotiations with the US.

While acknowledging that messages had been exchanged through intermediaries, he clarified that such communications do not constitute formal dialogue.

“Messages being conveyed through our friendly countries and us responding by stating our positions… is not called negotiation or dialogue,” Araqchi said.