The White House said on Thursday that President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were fully aligned on US policy toward Iran, while maintaining that Washington remained open to diplomacy despite recent military strikes.
Talking to reporters, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed suggestions of differences between Trump and Vance over negotiations with Tehran.
"I can tell you that the president and the vice president are on the exact same page about where we are right now in this conflict," Leavitt said.
Open to Diplomacy
To a question, she said Trump remained willing to pursue diplomacy even after recent military action against Iran.
"The president is always open and willing to diplomacy," Leavitt said.
She said the United States had entered a diplomatic phase following "Operation Epic Fury" but accused Iran of violating the memorandum of understanding reached between the two sides.
‘Breaches Invited Attacks’
Leavitt said the United States launched recent strikes after Iran allegedly breached the agreement by firing on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
"The reason for the recent strikes over the course of the last several days is because Iran violated the memorandum of understanding that we struck with them," she said.
"Specifically, they were not to fire on commercial vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz."
Leavitt said Iran continued to engage with Washington despite the fighting. "Iran very much continues to talk to the United States of America and express that they want to make a deal with us because they are suffering devastating blows on behalf of our United States military," she said.
She added that Trump would not allow attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to go unanswered. "President Trump is not going to sit by and allow these active acts of terrorism to take place in the strait without ensuring Iran pays consequences for that," Leavitt added.
Leavitt also said recent US military action had left Iran's leadership divided and disrupted its ability to communicate effectively.
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