– President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Iran is ready to negotiate a ceasefire amid ongoing US strikes, including on Kharg Island, but he rejected the current terms as insufficient.

“Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet,” NBC News cited Trump during a telephone interview. “We totally demolished Kharg Island, but we may hit it a few more times just for fun.”

Trump also raised doubts about the well-being of the new supreme leader in Iran, saying he might not even be alive.

“I don’t know if he’s even alive. So far, nobody’s been able to show him,” Trump said. “I’m hearing he’s not alive, and if he is, he should do something very smart for his country, and that’s surrender.”

Asked about the future of the regime, Trump said there are channels open with some leaders in Iran who might be qualified candidates.

“We have people that are living who would be great leaders for the future of the country,” Trump said. When asked if he is in touch with any of the potential leaders, he declined to give details, saying: “I don’t want to say that. I don’t want to put them in jeopardy.”

The Pentagon is deploying thousands of additional Marines and sailors to the Middle East as Iran intensifies attacks on the Strait of Hormuz, Newsmax reported on Saturday.

The USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship which carries about 2,500 sailors and Marines, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is joining the region after operations in the Philippine Sea, while additional vessels are also being sent, according to senior US military officials.