The United States will continue its military strikes against Iran despite ongoing talks between the two countries, a White House official told MBN, underscoring the Trump administration’s strategy of coupling military pressure with continued diplomatic engagement. The comments come as fighting intensifies around the Strait of Hormuz and international mediators race to prevent a broader regional escalation.
President Donald Trump is “currently focused on making Iran pay” for violating the memorandum of understanding and its continued acts of terrorism in the Strait of Hormuz, the official said. Trump also intends to hold Iran accountable for the recent deaths of U.S. soldiers, the official added.
“These devastating blows will continue until the president deems otherwise, but talks between our countries are continuing,” the official stated.
The remarks reflect the parallel tracks pursued by the Trump administration: escalating military pressure on Iran while keeping diplomatic channels open.
For the ninth consecutive night, U.S. Central Command announced new strikes, saying they were aimed at degrading Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking on Monday, Trump said Iran will pay for the deaths of three U.S. service members.
Military Escalation at Sea
Tensions in and around the Strait of Hormuz have continued to mount.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said two oil tankers were hit by explosions after attempting to transit what it described as an unsafe southern shipping route.
The U.S. military, meanwhile, said it had redirected seven commercial vessels and blocked another from transiting as part of the naval blockade Washington has imposed on Iranian ports.
The crisis widened further when Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement announced what it called a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, raising the prospect of a new front in the conflict and increasing concerns over regional trade and energy supplies.
Mediation Efforts Continue
Despite the military escalation, both American and Iranian reports point to renewed mediation efforts aimed at securing another ceasefire.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that mediators had presented Tehran with a proposal for a 10-day ceasefire designed to create conditions for reviving the interim agreement that collapsed last month.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei confirmed that Tehran had received proposals from mediators “seeking to prevent further escalation,” but declined to provide additional details.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Washington remains prepared to pursue diplomacy, while insisting that Iran must change its behavior before the United States alters its approach.
Mediation efforts continue to face a fundamental obstacle: both sides are seeking to de-escalate without appearing to back down.
Alan Eyre, a diplomacy expert at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said both governments likely want to avoid a wider war, but neither wants to be the first to make concessions.
Speaking to MBN, Eyre said returning to negotiations remains the most realistic path forward despite persistent differences and deeply entrenched red lines.
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman likewise said negotiations with Washington remain possible, provided they safeguard Iran’s national interests.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had demonstrated its “ability to endure” and would make its decisions based on the new realities created by the latest escalation.
Still, mounting human and material losses, coupled with attacks expanding to include infrastructure and strategic facilities, are making a swift settlement increasingly difficult.
Eyre said diplomatic efforts remain active, but trust between the two sides continues to erode with every breach of previous agreements.
Any serious path toward de-escalation, he added, will require an understanding over the Strait of Hormuz, which has become both the focal point of the confrontation and the principal source of leverage for each side.
Adapted and translated from the original Arabic.
