Iran diplomacy and military warnings
President Trump said renewed U.S. strikes on Iran were “highly unlikely” if Tehran made progress toward a nuclear agreement and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, CNN reported. He tied the decision to a strong agreement, while maintaining that Washington could strike if necessary and had three aircraft carriers ready. He also claimed the U.S. could destroy 38 Iranian bridges within an hour and that Iran retained only 10% of its missile capacity and 15% of its drone capabilities.
Following his White House meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Trump told Reuters that Qatar and Saudi Arabia favored a peaceful resolution.
In a public post, he said Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and others preferred continuing the naval blockade and Operation Iron Gate, described as covering land and sea. He said they agreed Iran could not have a nuclear weapon. Trump also said Task Force Iron Gate was operating in Iran and asserted that Israel and the wider Middle East were protected from Iranian threats.
Direct talks remained disputed. Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalın said U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei were expected to meet in Doha the week after his remarks, calling it a chance for a breakthrough.
Rezaei explicitly denied a meeting was being planned and said Washington had not clearly answered Iran’s conditions. A senior Iranian security official told Press TV a potential meeting was “off the table” unless Washington accepted Tehran’s seven conditions.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the Supreme Leader had ordered an end to the situation of neither war nor peace and that Iran could negotiate with dignity.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump preferred diplomacy, but Iranian demands had made negotiations unproductive. He called some demands “outrageous and ridiculous” and said Washington would consider a good proposal.
Kalın said Turkish President Erdogan had urged Trump during a Saturday call not to strike again, warning that another attack could renew a regional cycle of escalating violence.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf accused Israel of seeking an endless U.S. war that no president could escape and warned of a “dark age” for America and its allies unless Washington abandoned its “Israel First” mindset.
Rezaei claimed the war had wrecked the U.S. government and demanded Washington stop promoting imaginary talks and surrender to Iran’s seven conditions.
Israeli leaders emphasized the continuing threat. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the mission remained incomplete and accused Iran of renewing efforts to acquire nuclear weapons alongside other dangerous activities.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said:
“The only way to eliminate the Iranian threat forever is to topple the ayatollah’s regime”.
He warned of imminent international pressure to accept a nuclear Iran. The Financial Times reported that Netanyahu had been calling Trump “every day” to press for renewed U.S. strikes.
Tel Aviv threats investigated
The Israel Police and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) are investigating flyers found in mailboxes at several northern Tel Aviv addresses. QR codes linked to threatening content on a site titled “warning from handala team”, according to police and a screenshot they released.
Handala is linked to Iran and has previously published material taken from Israeli officials’ devices.
The message threatened Israeli power stations, oil refineries and desalination facilities if Israeli leaders again attacked the energy infrastructure of the “resistance front”.
Police collected the flyers as evidence; the Shin Bet is participating in the investigation.
