US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States is holding "good talks" with Iran but warned that Washington would not hesitate to take military action if diplomacy fails.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said discussions with Tehran were underway after Iran sought renewed engagement.
"We're talking with Iran right now. We are having good talks," Trump said.
He claimed Iran had requested the meeting "through their surrogates and directly," adding that Tehran only sought negotiations because of sustained US military pressure.
"The only reason they want to meet is because we've been hitting them very hard," Trump said.
The US president said mediators had requested additional time for diplomacy but stressed he was not interested in prolonged negotiations.
"There is not much time. Things will either move quickly or not at all," he said, warning that the United States was prepared to launch strong military action if negotiations collapsed.
US, Iran pause attacks
Trump's remarks come after both Washington and Tehran refrained from launching fresh attacks over the weekend, easing regional tensions after nearly two weeks of military exchanges.
Iran earlier announced it had suspended retaliatory operations against US allies in the Middle East, while US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said President Trump had paused military strikes to give diplomacy a chance.
According to Iranian military spokesman Mohammad Akramian, Tehran also halted retaliatory military operations following the temporary pause.
The United States has likewise avoided carrying out air strikes on Iran for three consecutive nights after previously conducting 13 straight nights of attacks.
Pakistan, Qatar revive diplomacy
The renewed diplomatic efforts follow mediation led by Pakistan and Qatar under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
The agreement, brokered with Pakistan's assistance and signed in June by US President Donald Trump, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, seeks to establish a permanent ceasefire and revive negotiations.
Under the agreement, both sides committed to halting military operations, reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping and negotiating a broader agreement covering Iran's nuclear programme, US sanctions and a lasting ceasefire within 60 days.
Arab media outlets, including Al Arabiya and Anadolu Agency, reported that both Washington and Tehran have responded positively to the latest Pakistani-Qatari proposal to resume negotiations under the framework of the Islamabad agreement.
Trump rejects claims of ammunition shortage
Trump also dismissed reports suggesting the United States was running low on missile interceptors or other munitions.
"We have a lot of ammunition, different types," he said.
He added that Patriot missile interceptors were being produced at an accelerated pace as the US expanded its stockpile, blaming the previous Biden administration for depleting inventories through military assistance to Ukraine.
US, Israel aligned on Iran
The US president said Washington and Israel remained closely coordinated on Iran.
"The US and Israel are pretty close when it comes to Iran," Trump said, adding there was "a good chance something will happen" in the ongoing negotiations.
Comments on Yemen, Russia and Turkiye
Trump said the United States was not currently involved in the latest fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi movement but left open the possibility of intervention if necessary.
"But we may, if there's a problem," he said.
He also said he planned to ask Russian President Vladimir Putin whether Russian satellites were helping Iran direct strikes in the Middle East after Ukraine alleged Russian satellite surveillance of Gulf states and US military facilities.
When asked about Israeli objections to a potential US sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkiye, Trump said decisions on American arms exports would be made by Washington alone.
"Nobody tells me what we should be selling or not," he said, describing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as "a friend."
