President Donald Trump will hit Iran harder if Tehran fails to accept that the country has been "defeated militarily," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 25, 2026. Reuters/Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump will hit Iran harder if Tehran fails to accept that the country has been "defeated militarily," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday.
"President Trump does not bluff and he is prepared to unleash hell. Iran should not miscalculate again," Leavitt told reporters in a press briefing.
"If Iran 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.
As the joint U.S.-Israeli war on Iran entered its fourth week, there have been efforts by multiple countries such as Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt to mediate.
Iran is still reviewing a U.S. proposal to end the war, despite an initial response that was negative, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday, indicating that Tehran had so far stopped short of rejecting it outright.
Talks with Iran were still under way, Leavitt said. "Talks continue. They are productive, as the president said on Monday, and they continue to be," she added.
Citing unnamed sources, media outlets on Tuesday reported that Washington sent Tehran a 15-point plan on ending the war. Leavitt said on Wednesday that elements of the reports were not fully accurate, but she did not provide specifics.
"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, so I am not going to negotiate on behalf of the president here at the podium," Leavitt said.
Global equity markets regained some ground while oil prices dipped on Wednesday after the reports about the plan, with investors hoping for an end to a war that has disrupted global energy supplies and raised inflation concerns.
By Nandita Bose and Humeyra Pamuk
Yemen's Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on Thursday that all Saudi oil and other vital facilities would be targets for the group's missiles and drones if Riyadh escalated its involvement in the conflict.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told parliament Thursday that the "ill-fated" framework agreement signed on June 26 between Lebanon and Israel was "doomed to fail," insisting "the Zionists will not be able to impose its implementation" and that "our people will thwart its effects on the ground."
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said some members of the Israeli government had tried to influence U.S. public opinion to oppose a deal by the U.S. to end the war with Iran, in a podcast episode with host Joe Rogan posted on Wednesday.
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