Trump says Iran talks are under way as US remains ‘locked and loaded’
Trump said Washington is speaking with Tehran while warning the US is prepared, as reports cited alerts and strikes across the region.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Trump Iran talks are taking place even as Washington keeps military options ready, President Donald Trump said during an Oval Office appearance, according to Al Jazeera. His remarks matter because they pointed to continued diplomacy with Tehran while the president also warned that the United States remains “locked and loaded”.
Al Jazeera’s Manuel Rapalo, reporting from the White House, said Trump had convened a meeting billed around announcements on nuclear innovation. Questions from reporters quickly turned to Iran and to the president’s earlier comments about the possibility of a “massive” attack.
Asked about those remarks, Trump said the US was speaking with Iran. Rapalo reported that Trump said talks were happening at that moment, a statement that contrasted with earlier signals from US officials during the week suggesting that diplomacy had slowed and that attention had shifted toward military action.
Is the US talking to Iran?
Trump said Washington is talking to Tehran and identified Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance as among the officials involved, according to Al Jazeera. He also said Iran “is getting very serious, and they should be,” while repeating that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
The president did not describe the channel for the talks, the agenda or whether Iranian officials were speaking directly with US officials. He also said he was not in a rush to reach an agreement.
Trump was asked about an exit strategy, according to Rapalo. He answered that there were many possible exit strategies but did not explain what they were.
The comments left two tracks visible at once: the White House describing contacts with Iran while the president kept up a warning that the US was ready to act. Rapalo reported that Trump used the phrase “locked and loaded” in the same exchange in which he discussed talks with Tehran.
What else is happening in the region?
Al Jazeera reported that air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain. The network said Iran had earlier stated it was continuing to target US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
In Yemen, the Saudi-led Coalition Joint Forces Command said it had struck Houthi sites in Hodeidah but had not hit the port there, according to Al Jazeera. Houthi media reported that telecommunications and port facilities in Hodeidah were targeted and that a woman was injured on Kamaran Island.
Al Jazeera also reported rising violence in the occupied West Bank. Its recap said a shootout triggered by Israeli settlers left four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers dead, and that Israeli settler violence had escalated afterward.
Twenty Israeli rights groups appealed to the international community to act immediately against escalating violence by settler militias and the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera reported.
What did Iran say?
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran does not fear threats and does not “succumb to pressures” while attending a meeting in Kyrgyzstan, according to Al Jazeera. His comments came as Trump said the US was both speaking with Tehran and prepared for possible military action.
Al Jazeera framed the updates as part of its live coverage of the United States and Israel’s war on Iran. The reports showed diplomacy, threats and regional military activity continuing at the same time.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.