White House says Trump remains open to Iran diplomacy

The White House said President Donald Trump remains open to diplomacy with Iran and that Washington is still talking to Tehran despite renewed hostilities.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump would hold Iran accountable if it turned away from statements made to the United States, but that he was also open to diplomacy. She said Iran had expressed that it still wanted to make a deal with Trump.

Leavitt said the United States was talking to Iran, but added that Trump would not allow Iran to fire on ships in the Strait without consequences.

The comments came a day after Trump thanked Iran for freeing a US citizen who had been detained since December 2024, a move described in the source as a possible diplomatic opening.

A fragile ceasefire agreed in June has been strained after the United States launched several rounds of strikes in recent days, which the source said were intended to curb Iran's ability to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has also warned that he could widen attacks to include power plants and bridges unless Iran returns to talks.