US President Donald Trump said Friday that Washington is seeking talks with Iran but claimed there is ‘‘nobody to talk to’’ following weeks of US-Israeli strikes that he said decimated the country’s leadership.

Speaking during a trophy presentation at the White House, Trump said: ‘‘We’re having a hard time. We want to talk to them, and there’s nobody to talk to. We have nobody to talk to. And you know what—we like it that way.’’

‘‘Their navy’s gone. Their air force is gone. Their anti-aircraft is all gone. It’s all gone. Their radar is all gone. Their leaders are all gone,’’ he claimed.

‘‘Now nobody wants to be a leader over there anymore.’’

Despite the remarks, Trump reiterated that Washington’s objective remains preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

‘‘We’re not going to let them have nuclear weapons, because if they had them, they’d use them,’’ he said, reiterating a justification for the war that his critics have said is not supported by the facts.

Trump also said that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was in the White House Situation Room during the event, noting that he had the option to attend but chose to remain there.

The president also claimed major battlefield gains, saying major Iranian naval assets had been wiped out in the space of days.

‘‘They had a navy two weeks ago. They have no navy anymore. It’s all at the bottom of the sea—58 ships knocked down in two days,’’ he said.

Regional tensions have surged since the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. The attacks have reportedly killed some 1,300 people, including Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior official Ali Larijani, and over 150 children at a girls’ elementary school.

Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and what it says are US-linked assets across the region, further escalating the conflict.

Source: Anadolu Agency 
--Agencies