The United States has repeatedly said it is open to diplomacy with Iran, as the U.S.-Israel war against Iran drags on and President Donald Trump renews his threat to destroy the country’s civilian infrastructure.
U.S. State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott told Al Jazeera in a television interview Thursday that President Trump had pursued dialogue with Iran before the war, but accused Iran of continuing to develop nuclear weapons.
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“The president has always been open to diplomacy, but he’s also made clear that we’re going to see that his objectives are achieved here,” Piggott said.
President Trump addressed the nation about Iran late Wednesday, repeating past statements that the United States is winning the war. However, he did not elaborate on how the conflict would end. President Trump also gave no plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where energy prices have soared due to the Iranian government’s shutdown.
The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, days after a series of negotiations in Geneva that Omani mediators and Iranian officials described as positive.
Last year, Israel also attacked Iran amid ongoing nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran. In this war, the United States bombed three major Iranian nuclear facilities in an operation the White House dubbed the “Midnight Hammer.”
“Presidents always like diplomacy,” Piggott said.
“That’s why this assertion and ‘how we got here’ became so important from the president’s speech yesterday explaining how he pursued diplomacy before Operation Midnight Hammer.”
Piggott added that after the June 2025 attacks, “diplomatic doors were reopened, but we saw the Iranian regime continue its pursuit of nuclear weapons.”
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, but Israel is widely believed to have an undeclared nuclear arsenal.
Before last year’s war, Trump’s own intelligence director, Tulsi Gabbard, told lawmakers that “Iran is not building nuclear weapons.”
President Trump has repeatedly said that the U.S. attack on Iranian facilities wiped out the country’s nuclear program.
Gabbard also said earlier this month that there had been no “effort” by Iran to rebuild its enrichment capabilities after the U.S. attack.
However, the Iranian government has maintained its right to enrich uranium within the country. It also ruled out negotiations over missile programs and support for non-state actors hostile to Israel, such as Hezbollah and Hamas.
Piggott stressed Thursday that the United States is committed to diplomatic efforts in the Middle East as it pursues its goal of destroying Iran’s military capabilities.
“Rest assured that we are seeing diplomatic engagement with our regional partners and stakeholders here at the highest levels of this administration, across this administration, to pursue our interests, to work with them, and to see what can happen here,” he said.
A US State Department spokesperson accused Iran of targeting “civilians and civilian infrastructure” across the region, saying this underscores “the intolerable threat of the Iranian regime acquiring nuclear weapons.”
Iran has retaliated against U.S. and Israeli attacks with missile and drone attacks across the region, targeting not only U.S. assets but also energy facilities and civilian facilities such as hotels and airports.
Mr Piggott’s comments on Thursday came shortly after President Trump shared footage of a US attack targeting a major civilian bridge in Iran and warned of similar attacks in the future.
“It’s time for Iran to reach a deal before it’s too late. Nothing remains to be seen as a great nation,” Trump said in a social media post.
President Trump also threatened to destroy Iran’s power plants in a speech on Wednesday, and earlier this week said the United States could also destroy the country’s desalination facilities.
Legal experts say attacks on civilian facilities amount to collective punishment and are prohibited under international law.
Barbara Slavin, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center, told Al Jazeera on Thursday that President Trump is “in a hurry” and is trying to escalate the war before ending it.
“I think Donald Trump is trying to find a way to end the war without it failing miserably, so he’s clutching at various straws at this point,” Slavin said.
