WASHINGTON — On Friday, President Trump assured that peace negotiations would not be derailed by Iran’s recent downing of an American fighter jet. A U.S. official confirmed to The Post that talks with Tehran are still ongoing.
Trump’s remarks came as efforts were underway to locate the second crew member of the F-15 fighter jet.
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When asked by NBC News if the incident would halt discussions, Trump replied in a phone interview, “No, not at all.”
He added, “No, it’s war. We’re in war.”
While both pilots managed to eject, only one was swiftly found by American forces combing the area. This event marked the first time a U.S. warplane had been downed by enemy action in 35 days of conflict.
Two helicopters involved in the search reportedly were struck by Iranian fire.
There was confusion Friday over the status of peace talks, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that “Iran has officially told the mediators it isn’t willing to meet U.S. officials in Islamabad in the coming days and that U.S. demands are unacceptable.”
A senior US official close to the negotiations told The Post that the Journal’s report was “not true” and that it would be “very accurate” to report that talks are ongoing about setting up a possible meeting and the terms of a possible deal.
A possible summit with Iranian officials in Pakistan, likely involving special envoy Steve Witkoff and Vice President JD Vance, had been floated for weeks — as US officials insisted that Iran’s public defiance belied private conciliation.
Trump’s team last week transmitted a 15-point peace proposal to Iran, calling for it to abandon its nuclear program, end its support for regional proxies and reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for sanctions relief.
Iran publicly responded with a five-point counter-offer demanding US reparations for war damage and recognition of Tehran’s right to control the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump this week sought to allay domestic concern about a prolonged war and associated economic pain caused by the global spike in energy costs — saying he plans to bring the conflict to a conclusion within “two or three weeks” regardless of whether there’s a deal.
The president has warned Iranian officials that civilian infrastructure such as bridges and electricity plants will be destroyed in the coming weeks if there’s no deal.
“If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously,” Trump said in a Wednesday night address to the nation.
“We have not hit their oil, even though that’s the easiest target of all, because it would not give them even a small chance of survival or rebuilding.”.
