The White House said Thursday that it is not currently negotiating with Iran to end the war, even as mediators travel to Tehran to revive the diplomatic process.
“No negotiations are happening right now, and this will continue until the president feels that maybe they come to the table in a meaningful way,” the outgoing White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Thursday morning. She touted the prospects of “Operation Economic Outcast,” the set of sanctions Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Monday.
Leavitt’s statement echoes comments President Donald Trump made in a Wednesday interview with Al Jazeera. “I have no time schedule, none. I’m not in a hurry. I have no time schedule at all,” he said when asked his preferred timeline for Iran’s return to negotiations. He said that both economic and military measures against Iran have both been effective.
Despite these statements, high-level representatives of mediating countries have been meeting with officials in Tehran to work towards regional deescalation. Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed al-Thani visited Tehran Thursday, following a Monday visit from Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief.
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Pakistan, which has served as a diplomatic channel between the U.S. and Iran, said Thursday that it would not participate in the new American sanctions on Iran.
The U.S. announced that another aircraft carrier is heading to the Middle East, with an expected deployment of about seven months.
Brent crude opened Thursday at $87.27 per barrel. AAA reported a national average of $4.10 per gallon of regular gasoline.
