Talks between the United States and Iran remain on track despite an overnight exchange of air strikes between the two countries, a diplomatic source familiar with the negotiations told CNN Thursday.
The source said the discussions aimed at reaching a deal have continued even after hours of U.S. strikes on Iranian military targets and Iranian counterattacks on U.S. bases in the region. The source emphasized that the attacks, which occurred late Wednesday, have not derailed diplomatic efforts.
US warship fires Tomahawk cruise missiles in strikes on Iran
(Video: CENTCOM)
Qatari negotiators left Tehran on Thursday after talks with Iranian officials toward a deal that lasted into the early hours of the morning, a Reuters source with knowledge of the situation said.
The escalation began Monday when a U.S. Apache helicopter was downed near the Strait of Hormuz, prompting a series of retaliatory strikes across Iran and on U.S. bases in the Gulf. U.S. officials said the latest strikes targeted Iranian surveillance systems, communication networks, and air defense sites in response to what they called “continued aggression.”
President Donald Trump warned that U.S. strikes would resume if Tehran did not immediately agree to a peace deal. “We will strike them hard tonight, and hopefully Iran makes a good decision,” he said. “If we need to negotiate with bombs, we’ll negotiate with bombs.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported counterattacks on 18 U.S. military targets, including airbases in Kuwait and Bahrain, and the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. It also said it fired 12 ballistic missiles at the al-Azraq air base in Jordan for a second consecutive night. Bahrain reported minor injuries and property damage from intercepted drones, while Kuwait briefly closed its airspace.
Iran’s top joint military command also warned it would fire on any vessel attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command denied the strait was closed and said commercial traffic continued safely.
The conflict, now in its fourth month, has killed thousands and disrupted roughly a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, sending prices higher. Oil rose nearly $3 following Trump’s threat of further strikes.