The White House said Wednesday that negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program yielded modest gains but remain far from a breakthrough. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a briefing that “a little bit of progress” was made in the latest round of talks, but emphasized that the two sides are “still very far apart on some issues.”

“The Iranians are expected to come back to us with some more detail in the next couple of weeks, so the president will continue to watch how this plays out,” Leavitt said.

Her remarks come as Washington faces mounting questions about whether diplomacy can avert another round of military action. Trump has repeatedly left open the possibility of additional strikes if Tehran fails to agree to new limits on its nuclear program.

Leavitt was pressed on why the U.S. would consider further military action after Trump said June airstrikes had already “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“There are many reasons and arguments one could make for a strike against Iran,” she responded, declining to elaborate.

She defended the June operation — dubbed “Midnight Hammer” — as a decisive blow.

“The president, as commander in chief, had a very successful operation. Midnight Hammer totally obliterated Iran’s nuclear facilities,” Leavitt said.

“The president has been very clear with respect to Iran and any country around the world that diplomacy is always his first option and Iran would be very wise to make a deal,” she said, declining to specify any timeline or deadline.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)