India, March 26 -- US President Donald Trump on Thursday pivoted back to making claims of a victory over Iran, and said Tehran is "begging for a deal", three days after he spoke of a possible truce and "productive" and "very good" talks to end the conflict that's now in its fourth week. Trump's latest turnaround came simultaneously with reports saying "US-Iran indirect talks are taking place", citing Pakistani officials.

Iran had already rebuffed the US President publicly even as its neighbour Pakistan, one of the main mediators, sent out an invite on Tuesday that Trump nodded to on social media.

But, on Thursday, he posted on Truth Social: "The Iranian negotiators are very different and 'strange'. They are 'begging' us to make a deal, ...