The Trump Admin Continues Holding Talks With Iran. But The President Reportedly Discussed a Return To War.
President Donald Trump has held conversations with top officials about returning to an all-out war with Iran, according to a new report.
The Wall Street Journal detailed that the president has held multiple conversations with top officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine about the possibility of conducting renewed strikes.
However, officials familiar with the discussions said Trump has so far decided to stick with diplomacy. He has reportedly told officials that another round of widespread strikes could hurt Washington’s push to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. So far he is fine with isolated strikes should Tehran conduct actions considered a violation of the ceasefire, as it happened over the weekend.
He has also told aides he is fine if negotiations extend further than the August 18 deadline he has set to achieve a nuclear deal.
Speaking to Fox News on Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance said “what the president has told us is, work the problem, see where the negotiation is going to lead. And if it doesn’t lead to a successful resolution on the diplomatic side, we still have a lot of optionality, and we still accomplished a whole lot for the American people.”
The countries have begun indirect talks in Qatar with the mediation of local and Pakistani officials. Citing a source with direct knowledge of the discussions, CBS News noted that U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Tuesday but are not attending technical talks on Wednesday.
An Iranian official told Reuters that talks were focused on the release of Tehran’s frozen assets and the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that Qatar released $6 billion in frozen funds belonging to the country after the country exchanged strikes with the U.S. in the Strait of Hormuz during the weekend.
“Based on the plans made, $6 billion out of the total $12 billion of Iranian resources in Qatar will be released and returned to the country, and necessary follow-ups are being carried out,” Pezeshkian said in remarks posted by state-run IRNA news agency. He went on to praise the deal reached with the U.S., calling it a “great victory for the Iranian people.”
The Associated Press noted that, according to U.S. officials, no frozen Iranian assets have been released so far, and Qatar has not acknowledged any such transfers.
