&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Iran is still in talks with US, wants a deal’: White House")
Iran continues to hold talks with the United States and has expressed a desire to reach an agreement with Washington despite the ongoing conflict, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday (July 16).
Speaking to reporters, Leavitt said Tehran was seeking negotiations after suffering significant military setbacks. "Iran very much continues to talk to the United States of America and has expressed that they want to make a deal with us because they are suffering devastating blows" from the US military, she said.
Leavitt said recent US strikes were carried out after Iran allegedly violated the Iran-US memorandum of understanding, which Washington says prohibits attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
She said President Donald Trump remained committed to protecting international shipping routes and would respond firmly to any such actions. "President Trump is not going to sit by and allow these active acts of terrorism to take place in the Strait without ensuring Iran pays consequences for that," Leavitt said.
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While reiterating that Trump remained open to diplomacy, Leavitt said the administration would not tolerate attacks on commercial shipping. She also claimed the US had demonstrated it could strike Iran "anytime, anywhere, any place", adding that Tehran's ability to defend itself had been "essentially wiped out".
The remarks come as tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high despite continued diplomatic engagement, with the White House maintaining that military pressure and negotiations can proceed simultaneously.
