White House: U.S. has held talks with Iran regime, second round of direct negotiations "likely" to take place in Pakistan

The White House stated that the U.S. is maintaining negotiation contacts with the Iranian regime through mediators in Pakistan, and remains optimistic about reaching an agreement to end Iran's nuclear ambitions and other malicious activities.

These remarks were made by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during a press briefing on Wednesday, April 15. She said that the second possible round of U.S.-Iran direct talks is "likely" to occur at the same location as the first round, which took place over the weekend in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.

The first round marked the first face-to-face meeting between officials of the Islamic Republic—long viewed by the U.S. as an adversary—and American counterparts. The talks aim to solidify the two-week ceasefire announced by President Trump on April 7, under which the U.S. and Israel jointly targeted the Iranian regime militarily.

Leavitt said President Trump prefers Pakistan to serve as the sole mediator in negotiations with Iran.

"Although many countries around the world have expressed interest in helping, the President believes it's important to continue coordinating communication through Pakistan, and that's how it's currently being done," she said.

Previously, President Trump told Fox News Television that the U.S.-Israel offensive he launched on February 28, which was paused last week, had already been "very close to ending" but "has not yet ended."

In a Wednesday interview, President Trump discussed the U.S.-led "epic fury operation" against Iran, stating, "I think it's very close to ending. You know— if I pulled out right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild this country. And we haven’t finished yet. We’ll see. I think they really want a deal."

President Trump reiterated his view that Iran must permanently give up any path toward nuclear weapons production, otherwise "no agreement will be reached."

He also restated his prior threat: if the Iranian regime refuses U.S. demands to halt its malicious activities, the U.S. will swiftly destroy Iran’s bridges and power plants.

"We don’t want to do that, because one day you’ll have to rebuild, and rebuilding bridges takes ten years. Even if you’re Trump, it still takes a long time. Power plants are just as bad. So we’ll see," Trump said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a video statement released Wednesday, said America’s allies "continuously update us on our engagements with Iran."

"Our goals are the same. Given the possibility that fighting may resume, we are prepared for any scenario," he added.

Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on X on Wednesday stating that during the initial 48 hours of the blockade on vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports, "no ships" managed to break through the U.S. naval blockade.

CENTCOM also reported that since the blockade began at 5:30 p.m. Iranian time on Monday, nine vessels complied with U.S. orders by turning back toward Iranian ports or coastal areas.

In another post, CENTCOM released an audio recording of a U.S. Navy warning message directed at ships navigating near Iran’s coastal waters. In the recording, a spokesperson stated, "Do not attempt to breach the blockade. Any vessel traveling to or from Iranian ports will be boarded, intercepted, and seized. Turn back immediately, or prepare for boarding inspection. If you fail to comply with the blockade, we will use force. The entire U.S. Navy is ready to enforce this requirement."

General Brad Cooper, Commander of U.S. Central Command, issued a statement on X on Tuesday saying, "It is estimated that 90% of Iran’s economy depends on maritime international trade. Within less than 36 hours of the blockade implementation, U.S. forces have completely halted all economic trade via sea routes into and out of Iran."

Source: vua

Original: toutiao.com/article/1862598759550089/

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