The United States has reiterated that Washington is open to diplomacy with Tehran as the US-Israel war on Iran drags on – and as US President Donald Trump renews his threats to destroy the country’s civilian infrastructure.
US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Al Jazeera in a TV interview on Thursday that Trump pursued talks with Iran before the war, but accused Iran of continuing to pursue a nuclear weapon.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
“The president is always open to diplomacy, but he’s also been clear we will see his objectives be fulfilled here,” Pigott said.
Trump addressed the nation about Iran late on Wednesday, echoing his past statements that the US is winning the war. But he did not provide details on how the conflict would end. Trump also did not present any plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure by Tehran has sent energy prices soaring.
The US and Israel launched the war against Iran on February 28, days after a round of negotiations in Geneva that Omani mediators and Iranian officials described as positive.
Last year, Israel also attacked Iran amid ongoing nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran. That war saw the US bomb Iran’s three main nuclear facilities in an operation that the White House dubbed “Midnight Hammer”.
“The president always prefers diplomacy,” Pigott said.
“That’s why the argument and ‘the how we got here’ was so important from the president’s speech yesterday, describing how he pursued diplomacy before Operation Midnight Hammer.”
Pigott added that after the June 2025 attack, “the door for diplomacy was opened yet again, and yet we saw the Iranian regime continue in that pursuit of a nuclear weapon”.
Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon, while Israel is widely believed to possess an undeclared nuclear arsenal.
Before last year’s war, Trump’s own intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, told lawmakers that “Iran is not building a nuclear weapon”.
Trump has repeatedly said that the US strikes on Iran’s facilities obliterated the country’s nuclear programme.
Gabbard also said earlier this month that there “have been no efforts” by Iran to rebuild its enrichment capacity after the US strikes.
However, Tehran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium domestically. It has also ruled out negotiations over its missile programme and support for non-state actors hostile to Israel, including Hezbollah and Hamas.
Pigott stressed on Thursday that the US is involved in diplomatic efforts in the Middle East as it pursues its stated goal of destroying Iran’s military capabilities.
“Rest assured that we see diplomatic engagement at the highest levels of this administration, across this administration, with our partners in the region, with the parties involved here, to pursue our interests, to work with them and to see what can happen here,” he said.
The US State Department spokesperson accused Iran of targeting “civilians and civilian infrastructure” across the region, which he said underscores the “intolerable threat of that Iranian regime having a nuclear weapon”.
Iran has retaliated against the US and Israeli assault with missile and drone attacks across the region, targeting US assets as well as energy facilities and civilian sites, including hotels and airports.
Pigott’s comment on Thursday came moments after Trump shared footage of a US attack targeting a major civilian bridge in Iran, warning of similar strikes in the future.
“IT IS TIME FOR IRAN TO MAKE A DEAL BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, AND THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF WHAT STILL COULD BECOME A GREAT COUNTRY,” Trump wrote in a social media post.
In his speech on Wednesday, Trump also threatened to destroy Iran’s power plants, and earlier this week, he said the US could also obliterate the country’s water desalination stations.
Attacking civilian sites amounts to collective punishment and is prohibited under international law, legal experts say.
Barbara Slavin, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center, told Al Jazeera on Thursday that Trump is “scrambling” and trying to escalate the war before ending it.
“I think that Donald Trump is looking for a way to end the war without it being an abject failure. And so he is clutching at various straws at this time,” Slavin said.
