Iran strikes persist even as Trump claims talks to end war

Fighting between the U.S.-Israeli alliance and Iran raged unabated, even as President Donald Trump claimed talks are under way to end the conflict.

Iran carried out overnight missile and drone attacks on the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv, Eilat and Dimona, as well as on U.S. bases in the Middle East. Israel launched a wave of strikes in western and central Iran, including Tehran, with Defense Minister Israel Katz saying the campaign would continue “at full intensity.”

The strikes came after Trump postponed an assault on Iran’s energy infrastructure, citing “productive conversations” with Tehran. The U.S. president’s claims of behind-the-scenes diplomacy were widely denied by Iranian officials, causing confusion over the participants in the talks and the likelihood of a potential deal.

Brent crude traded back above $100 a barrel on Tuesday, on concern the war could yet escalate, exacerbating a global energy supply crunch.

Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a drone in its eastern region, and Kuwait said some power lines were put out of service after an Iranian attack. Sirens sounded in Bahrain, where Amazon Web Services Inc. suffered a disruption to its services due to drone activity.

Iran’s Fars news agency reported damage to a gas pressure-regulation plant and an administrative building in the central city of Isfahan. There was also a strike on a gas pipeline in the southwest of the country, according to Fars.

U.S. allies including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have hardened their stances against Tehran due to consistent bombardment of their territories.

Saudi Arabia told the U.S. it’s ready to strike Iran if its own power and water plants were targeted by the Islamic Republic, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said last week the kingdom’s restraint isn’t “unlimited.”

Trump told reporters Monday that special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held discussions a day earlier with a “top person” in Iran, and said the country wants to “make a deal.” Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei wasn’t involved in the talks, he added.

Axios reported it was Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, though the Iranian parliament speaker denied negotiations took place.

“Iran has one more opportunity to end its threats to America and their allies, and we hope they take it,” Trump said. “It could very well end up being a very good deal for everybody.”

Tehran received U.S. requests through mediators for talks to end the war, the state-run IRNA cited foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei as saying. “Necessary warnings were given about the severe consequences of any aggression against Iran’s critical infrastructure,” Baghaei said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has in recent days held calls with counterparts in Turkey, Oman, Pakistan, Egypt, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and South Korea.

The deputy speaker of Iran’s parliament ruled out negotiations with Trump. Fars quoted Ali Nikzad as saying Iran would not negotiate “with someone who is a liar and in whom there is no sign of honor, humanity, or conscience.”

Pakistan is making a push to mediate an end to the war, and Trump has spoken with Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir about the conflict, people familiar with the matter said.

The country is positioning Islamabad as a location for talks, one of the people said. It’s possible that Witkoff and Kushner, alongside U.S. Vice President JD Vance, could travel to the city if an agreement was likely to be reached, according to one senior Western diplomat.

Countries including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Oman have engaged in back-channel talks with Iran to contain the war and seek a ceasefire.

The early indications suggest potentially arduous talks, with no guarantee the sides will be able to clinch a deal that ends the war. Iran has previously insisted on reparations and pledges from the U.S. and Israel that they don’t attack in future — demands Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are unlikely to accept.

“It’s in Israel’s interest to continue the war and meet the objectives that we set out for ourselves,” David Amsalem, a minister in Netanyahu’s security Cabinet, told Tel Aviv radio station 103 FM on Tuesday.

“I don’t know what’s going through the president’s mind,” he said, referring to Trump. “For now, we’re continuing to carry out strikes.”

Trump’s decision to push for indirect talks with Iran came after some allies cautioned that the war was quickly becoming a disaster, according to people familiar with the matter.

Regional partners told the U.S. that permanent damage to Iranian infrastructure would almost inevitably result in a failed state after the conflict ended, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations.

The conflict — now in its 25th day — has claimed more than 4,350 lives. Three quarters of those have been in Iran, while over 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, where Israel is fighting Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, has all but stopped. Only a few tankers have passed through since the conflict began, often after engagement with Iran.

The U.S. and Israel have said they want to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The U.S. would take Iran’s uranium stockpile and the two sides are already aligned on the terms, Trump claimed.

Iran has long denied pursuing atomic arms, though it has restricted United Nations inspectors’ access into the country since an earlier round of Israel and U.S. strikes last June.

Trump also suggested the U.S. and Iran could jointly control the Strait of Hormuz, which could reopen soon “if it works.”

Meanwhile, Trump has ordered Marines to head to the region, including the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit from Japan with more than 2,000 troops.

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—With assistance from Dan Williams.