The Media Line: White House Says Iran Seeking Agreement Despite Military Escalation  

White House Says Iran Seeking Agreement Despite Military Escalation  

By The Media Line Staff  

The White House said Thursday that the United States remains open to negotiations with Iran despite renewed military exchanges, saying Tehran has indicated it still wants to reach an agreement and that the two sides are talking.   

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the administration continues to pursue diplomacy while responding militarily to Iranian actions.  

“The president will hold them accountable when they turn their back on the words that they state to the United States. But he is always open to diplomacy at the very same time,” Leavitt said.  

She added that Iran has communicated its desire to continue negotiations with the Trump administration.  

“They have expressed they still want to make a deal to the president. We’re talking to them, but again, the president is not going to allow them to fire on ships in the Strait without paying a consequence for that,” Leavitt said.  

The latest comments come as fighting between the United States and Iran has resumed after ceasefire negotiations over a memorandum of understanding intended to end the war reached an impasse.  

Before launching strikes against Iran, President Trump declared on Truth Social that the ceasefire was over. He has also warned that the United States could expand its military campaign to include Iranian power plants and bridges unless the Islamic Republic returns to negotiations.  

Leavitt’s remarks came one day after President Trump thanked Iran for releasing a US citizen who had been detained since December 2024, a move viewed as a possible opening for diplomacy despite the renewed conflict.