US warns it can resume war with Iran as deal talks stall
The United States has warned it is capable of resuming war with Iran as negotiations over a possible deal remain unresolved. The warning came after a period of mixed signals from Washington, with the White House still weighing whether to approve an initial agreement. Tehran has denied that any final deal has been reached to end the wider Middle East conflict.
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US President Donald Trump said any agreement would have to follow his red lines, including a commitment that Iran never be able to develop nuclear weapons. A White House official said Mr Trump would only make a deal that was good for the United States and met those conditions. The president had not made a final decision after a two-hour meeting in the White House Situation Room in Washington on Friday.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said in Singapore that Washington could restart the war if necessary and said US stockpiles were sufficient for that purpose. The US Central Command said American forces remained present and vigilant across the region. The latest diplomacy was also complicated by US strikes on the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas and retaliatory fire from Iran earlier this week.
The developments matter because the talks are taking place alongside active military pressure and because the dispute has already affected the wider region and the global economy. One of the issues in the negotiations is the reopening of the blockaded Strait of Hormuz maritime route, which Mr Trump has identified as a priority. Iran has also insisted that any formal end to the war should include fighting in Lebanon, where separate talks have continued in parallel.
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The diplomatic track has involved Pakistan as a mediator, but it has been thrown into question by the recent exchange of strikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces had advanced further in Lebanon, even as military delegations from both sides met at the Pentagon in Washington. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei rejected Mr Trump's conditions, saying the Islamic republic had long since moved beyond the language of demands.
What remains unclear is whether the White House will approve any deal and whether the current exchanges can be contained while talks continue. It is also not clear how far the mediation effort can progress after the strikes on Bandar Abbas and Iran's retaliation. The next developments to watch are any formal US decision, further statements from Tehran, and whether the parallel Lebanon process can make progress.
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