U.S. President Donald Trump is prepared to pursue negotiations with Iran but insists that any talks must begin with a cease-fire initiated by Tehran, while warning that further attacks on U.S. forces or allies would prompt additional military action, a U.S. official said.
"That's the basis for any type of negotiation; it starts with a cease-fire, and it has to start with Iran," a U.S. official told the New York Post.
The official said progress toward a deal was complicated by divisions within Iran's leadership, with civilian officials pursuing diplomacy while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continued military operations.
On the civilian side, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have sought a negotiated settlement through diplomatic channels, according to the official. However, the IRGC has continued launching military strikes and has maintained its position on controlling the Strait of Hormuz.
"It's incumbent on the Iranian leadership to get their house in order," the U.S. official said.
The comments came after the United States carried out a wave of strikes on Iran on Wednesday (July 29) night in retaliation for what Washington said was an Iranian attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan.
"The president has been very clear that he wants a deal done sooner rather than later. But if the Iranians are going to keep attacking ships, attacking US bases, attacking Gulf allies, then there will be a price to pay for that," the official said.
Despite the latest military exchange, technical teams and international mediators continue to work on negotiations. According to the official, discussions are aimed at reaching a new memorandum of understanding that would retain key elements of previous arrangements. Trump also continues to insist that passage through the Strait of Hormuz remain toll-free, opposing any transit charges by Iran or Oman, the official added.
Meanwhile, the IRGC signalled it would continue its military response.
The IRGC "will punish the aggressor today," the group said, adding that countries aiding the United States in the conflict would also "receive a harsh response," according to Iranian state media.
U.S. Central Command said its strikes targeted military command centres, missile and drone facilities, and defence sites across Iran, describing the operation as an effort to reduce threats posed by Iran and its allied groups to U.S. forces, commercial shipping and Gulf states.
Trump also issued a direct warning following the Iranian attack.
"We'll be hitting them hard," Trump told Fox News chief foreign affairs correspondent Trey Yingst in a brief interview. "They're going to get a beating."
By Aghakazim Guliyev
