US President Donald Trump favors a peaceful resolution with Iran but is prepared to escalate sharply if Tehran fails to accept the "reality of the current moment," the White House said Wednesday.
Washington postponed planned strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure after "productive conversations" in the last three days, spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
She said the administration does not consider congressional authorization "necessary" for strikes against Iran, and acknowledged no specific timeline exists for the first oil tanker to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, though officials are working to realize it "as quickly as" possible.
The US and Israel have struck Iran since Feb. 28, killing more than 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, prompting Iranian retaliatory strikes across the region and a severe disruption to global oil flows.
