White House says 'productive' Iran talks continue despite reported rejection of U.S. peace plan

▲ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters at the White House in Washington on March 25, 2026, in this photo released by the Associated Press. (Yonhap)

White House-Iran war

White House says 'productive' Iran talks continue despite reported rejection of U.S. peace plan

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, May 25 (Yonhap) -- The United States and Iran continue "productive" talks to end their war, the White House said Wednesday, warning that the Islamic Republic will be "hit harder" than before if it fails to understand it has been "defeated militarily."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made the remarks during a press briefing, following Iran's reported rejection of a 15-point U.S. peace proposal, as President Donald Trump's administration is seeking an off-ramp from the war amid concerns about the economic ramifications of the conflict.

"Talks continue. They are productive as the president said on Monday, and they continue to be," Leavitt said.

She did not divulge who the U.S. is negotiating with, saying that the talks are "very sensitive diplomatic discussions."

Asked if the talks have hit a dead end, she said, "They have not."

Iran earlier responded negatively to the U.S. proposal, insisting that an end to the war will only occur on Tehran's terms and timeline, according to Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency in a social media post, which cited a Press TV interview with a senior Iranian official.

Touching on media reports about the 15-point peace plan, Leavitt cautioned against "speculative" points about the proposal. Reports have said that the plan involves U.S. demands concerning Iran's nuclear and missile programs, and its uranium stockpiles, among others.

"The White House never confirmed that full plan. There are elements of truth to it, but some of the stories I read were not entirely factual," she said. "What I will tell you is these talks are ongoing. We are not going into the nitty-gritty details that have been exchanged between the United States and Iran at this time."

Stressing that there does not need to be "any more death and destruction," Leavitt issued a stern warning against Iran's defiance.

"If it fails to accept the reality of the current moment, if they fail to understand that they have been defeated militarily and will continue to be, President Trump will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before," she said.

She went on to say that Trump "does not bluff" and is "prepared to unleash hell."

"Iran should not miscalculate again. Their last miscalculation cost them their senior leadership, their Navy, their Air Force and their air defense system," she said.

"Any violence beyond this point will be because the Iranian regime refused to understand they have already been defeated and refused to come to a deal here."

The press secretary reiterated that the U.S. campaign of airstrikes on Iran, codenamed "Operation Epic Fury," is "ahead of schedule," saying that the U.S. is "very close to meeting the core objectives of the operation.

"From the outset, President Trump and the Department of War estimated it would take approximately four to six weeks to achieve this critical mission," she said. "Twenty five days in, the greatest military the world has ever known is ahead of schedule and performing exceptionally day by day."

Despite Trump's claims that the negotiations are underway, a Pentagon official said that it will send more troops to the Middle East apparently to support operations against Iran.

"We can confirm elements of the 82nd Airborne Division HQs, some division enablers and the 1st BCT will be deploying to the CENTCOM AOR," the official told Yonhap News Agency via email. "Due to operations security we have nothing additional to provide at this time."

HQs, BCT and CENTCOM AOR are short for headquarters, brigade combat team and Central Command area of responsibility.

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