The White House warned Wednesday that additional military strikes against Iran could follow if ongoing talks fail to produce results.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said U.S. forces are “very close to meeting the core objectives” of the current military operations.
Speaking in the James Brady Press Briefing Room, Leavitt stressed that while “productive conversations” with Iran are underway, the United States retains the capacity to escalate its response if Tehran does not comply with what Washington describes as the current realities on the ground, according to dw.com.
“If Iran fails to accept the reality of the current moment, if they fail to understand that they have been defeated militarily … Trump will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before,” Leavitt said, signaling that Washington is prepared for further action should diplomacy falter.
The comments underscore the U.S. administration’s dual approach of pressing for dialogue while maintaining readiness to intensify military measures if Iran does not meet U.S. demands.
Meanwhile, Leavitt declined to identify which Iranian or Iranians the Trump administration is negotiating with.
She cautioned journalists about “reporting about speculative points or speculative plans from anonymous sources.”
“The White House never confirmed that full plan,” Leavitt said, adding that “there are elements of truth to it, but some of the stories I read were not entirely factual.”
President Trump said earlier this week that both the United States and Iran were “keen” to end the war. But Iran has denied having any direct talks with the US.
The Trump administration also set up indirect talks by compiling a 15-point ceasefire plan and having had that delivered to the Islamic Republic via Pakistan, The New York Times reported.
Iran has rejected the proposal, state media Press TV reported citing an anonymous official.
Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey have each offered to broker a ceasefire in the region so far.
