Washington, United States. The United States and Iran exchanged air attacks on Thursday as President Donald Trump threatened more strikes if Tehran does not immediately agree to a peace deal. Iranian sources and a European official said talks on a preliminary deal had intensified despite the fighting.
Negotiations continue amid conflict
Three Iranian sources and a European official said the United States and Iran were exchanging messages on details of a memorandum after reaching a political understanding. They said some issues still had to be discussed in detail, including a mechanism for the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds.
One Iranian source said the war had reached a military dead end and that there had been progress in negotiations.
Trump has repeatedly said a deal is close, but U.S. officials did not immediately comment on the latest status of the indirect negotiations.
Hostilities escalate despite ceasefire
The war has killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and has pushed up global oil prices since the United States and Israel launched heavy airstrikes on Iran on February 28.
Hostilities have escalated this week despite a fragile ceasefire agreed in early April. Tit-for-tat attacks have taken place across Iran and on U.S. bases in the region following Monday’s downing of a U.S. Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. military action and market response
The U.S. military said its latest attacks targeted military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defense sites across Iran in response to what it called Tehran’s unwarranted and continued aggression.
Trump told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst on Wednesday evening that the U.S. strikes would stop shortly but that he would resume heavy bombing if Iran’s leaders did not sign an agreement with the United States immediately, according to Yingst’s post on X.
Oil prices rose after those comments, but later fell back as traders assessed the actual impact of supply disruptions.
The U.S. military’s Central Command said the strikes were complete about four hours after they began soon after midnight in Tehran.
