Trump to hit Iran harder if Tehran does not accept defeat, White House says

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, Report informs via Reuters.

"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 US-Israeli war on Iran entered its fourth week, there have ​been efforts by multiple countries such as Pakistan, Türkiye and Egypt to mediate.

Talks with Iran were still underway, Leavitt said. "Talks ‌continue. ⁠They are productive, as the president said on Monday, and they continue to be," she added.

"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.