‘No interest in meeting’: Trump rejects immediate negotiations with Iran amid escalating conflict

US President Donald Trump ruled out the possibility of immediate talks with Iran, saying Washington had “no interest” in negotiations until Tehran was prepared to engage in meaningful discussions. Speaking alongside Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House, the US President claimed that Iranian officials were attempting to open back-channel talks with Washington. However, he said the USwould not engage in negotiations under the current circumstances.

No interest in meeting: Trump 

“I will tell you, they want to desperately meet. And until they’re ready to meet in a meaningful way, we have no interest in meeting,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office.

He said that in dialogue behind the scenes, Iranian officials have said, “they want to meet desperately to try and end it, because they are getting decimated”.

Trump’s remarks come amid escalating tensions between the US and Iran, with both sides continuing military operations and exchanging threats. Iran and the US have escalated attacks recently as their interim deal to end the war falls apart.

On the other hand, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that “the level of communication” with the Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has been increasing every day.

Speaking at the National Industry and Mining Day ceremony, Pezeshkian said, “Now, with increased communication and greater access to our beloved leader, all measures have been organised based on his instructions,” adding that Iranians “need the support of the Supreme Leader” and affirming, “We will continue the path with strength.”

US launches 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iran

Meanwhile, the US military carried out an 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iran early Wednesday, intensifying the ongoing conflict in West Asia. The renewed attacks came even as diplomatic efforts in Pakistan to revive a collapsed interim ceasefire remained stalled amid the escalating hostilities.

“CENTCOM forces began striking military targets in Iran at 7 p.m. ET today for the 11th consecutive night. The strikes are designed to continue degrading Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” the US Central Command said in a statement on X.

The latest round of military action came after Trump signalled that Washington’s campaign against Iran would intensify, with the conflict expected to increasingly focus on control of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically vital waterway for global energy supplies.

War cost USD 37.5 billion

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Iran war has cost the United States USD 37.5 billion so far, up from a previous estimate of nearly USD 29 billion in mid-May. “The estimate we have as of today is USD 37.5 billion,” Hegseth told Congress during a hearing Tuesday where he defended a request for USD 67 billion in supplemental funding for the Pentagon.

Hegseth said the supplemental war funding is an “urgent, necessary” injection of money, and with President Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget a generational investment in the military. “Without these funds, we face critical shortfalls,” Hegseth testified.

(With AP and AFP inputs)

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