Trump says US ‘not interested’ in talks with Iran until Tehran is ready for ‘meaningful’ talks | Today’s news
US President Donald Trump ruled out immediate talks with Iran on Tuesday (July 21st), saying Washington had “no interest” in talks until Tehran was ready for meaningful discussions, even as both sides stepped up military operations across the Middle East.
Speaking alongside Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House, Trump said Iranian officials were seeking back-channel talks but said the US would not engage under current conditions.
“I’ll tell you, they’re desperate to meet. And until they’re ready to meet in a meaningful way, we’re not interested in meeting,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
He added that Iranian officials want to “end it because they are being decimated.”
Trump signals extended military campaign
Trump also suggested that the US campaign against Iran was far from over, predicting that it would take decades for Tehran to recover from the damage already done.
“If we left now, it would take Iran 20, 25 years to recover. Well, and we’re not done at all … we’re not leaving right now,” he said.
The US president also revealed that US forces would attack the Pickaxe Mountain area “very soon”. The heavily fortified site, located near Iran’s damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility, contains complexes of underground tunnels believed to be linked to Tehran’s nuclear program.
The US-Iranian conflict is expanding in the region
The comments came as fighting escalated for a 10th straight day following the collapse of an interim deal between the US and Iran.
The US Central Command said it carried out fresh airstrikes targeting Iran’s military command centers, missile and drone launch sites, naval capabilities and air defense systems. Iranian state media reported explosions in several provinces, including Fars, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman and Sistan-Baluchistan.
Meanwhile, Iran launched attacks on US allies across the Gulf.
Jordan said it intercepted five drones and three missiles, while Bahrain activated warning sirens during further fire. Kuwait has reported repeated strikes on desalination plants and energy facilities, infrastructure critical to the country’s water and electricity supplies.
The Pentagon said the conflict has now claimed the lives of 17 US service members, while nearly 100 people have been injured since fighting resumed on July 7, most with mild concussions.
Hormuz and Red Sea shipping at risk
Maritime security further deteriorated.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz was hit by an unidentified projectile, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have claimed responsibility for the attacks on several vessels, saying two “substandard” oil tankers attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz were hit by explosions and left inoperable.
Kuwait’s foreign ministry has summoned Iran’s ambassador after an airstrike on the Kuwaiti tanker Kifan reportedly injured several crew members as the vessel passed through the strait.
The Houthis are opening a new front
Adding to concerns about global energy supplies are Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia and threatened to attack ships using Saudi ports and disrupt traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
Trump has warned that the US will respond if the Houthis follow through on their threat.
“If something like that happens, we’ll take care of it,” he said. “We already did that with the Houthis.”
Saudi Arabia condemned the announcement, labeling the Houthis a “terrorist militia” and vowing to keep the vital waterway open.
With the Strait of Hormuz largely blocked, Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on pipelines to the Red Sea to continue exporting oil. A Houthi blockade of Bab el-Mandeb would threaten one of the kingdom’s few remaining export routes and could further tighten global oil supplies.
Read also | Trump says Netanyahu ‘will not be arrested’ in US amid row over Mamdani remark
Diplomatic efforts continue
Despite the renewed fighting, diplomatic contacts did not stop completely.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said indirect exchanges with Washington through intermediaries were continuing.
Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni visited Pakistan on Tuesday, where he held talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and military chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. Pakistan, which helped broker last month’s interim deal, is trying to revive the talks.
Sharif called on all parties to “refrain from actions that could further destabilize the region.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said Washington remained open to diplomacy but insisted any negotiations “have to be real”.
With military operations expanding across Iran, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, and global shipping increasingly disrupted, prospects for a ceasefire remain uncertain despite ongoing mediation efforts.
Read also | Hormuz shipping plummets after tanker attacks, US-Iran strikes: Report
