The United States threatened Thursday to resume air strikes on Iran and maintain a naval blockade of its ports if Tehran refuses to accept a deal to end the war that has engulfed the Middle East.
The warning came as the influential chief of Pakistan’s armed forces visited Iran’s peace negotiators in Tehran as part of his country’s diplomatic efforts to arrange a new round of talks between the foes.
Iranian state television showed Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir meeting Iran’s speaker of parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led the Iranian delegation at the first US-Iran meeting in Pakistan last week, which ended without a deal.
“If Iran chooses poorly, then they will have a blockade and bombs dropping on infrastructure, power and energy,” Defense Secretary Hegseth told a news conference at the Pentagon.
Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had told reporters that further talks “would very likely” be in the Pakistani capital.
