Trump says US has no interest in Iran talks as strikes enter 11th night

President Donald Trump declared Tuesday that the United States has no interest in resuming negotiations with Iran, even as American airstrikes entered their 11th consecutive night and the financial and human cost of the conflict continued to climb sharply.

Speaking from the White House, Trump dismissed the latest Pakistani diplomatic push as “a waste of everyone’s time,” insisting that Washington would not return to the table while Iran remained what he called an “active aggressor.” The remarks effectively closed the door on an interim deal that Islamabad had been quietly brokering for the past week.

Strikes intensify as costs mount

U.S. Central Command confirmed overnight strikes on at least seven sites across Iran, including what Pentagon officials described as a command-and-control facility near Isfahan and two fuel depots outside Shiraz. It’s the largest single-night operation since the campaign began, with more than 40 aircraft involved. Defense officials put the total operational cost of the 11-day campaign at approximately $2.3 billion, a figure that doesn’t include hardware losses or long-term munitions replenishment.

Three U.S. service members were wounded in a drone counterattack early Wednesday, according to a brief statement from CENTCOM. None were reported in critical condition.

Tehran expands Gulf offensive

Iran’s response has not been limited to its own borders. Over the past 48 hours, Tehran significantly widened its offensive, launching ballistic missile strikes against two oil terminals in the UAE and a naval base in Bahrain. The UAE attack caused a fire at the Fujairah terminal that burned for nearly nine hours. No fatalities were reported, but oil markets reacted immediately — Brent crude jumped $6.40 a barrel to settle at $104.17 on Tuesday.

Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers held an emergency session in Riyadh, calling the Iranian strikes “a direct violation of sovereign territory” and urging immediate international intervention.

Still, Washington’s posture hasn’t shifted.

Pakistan’s diplomatic bid stalls

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had personally telephoned both Trump and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei over the weekend, according to sources in Islamabad familiar with the conversations. The effort centered on a narrow interim agreement: a 72-hour ceasefire tied to the release of three Western nationals held in Tehran and a partial freeze on uranium enrichment activity at Fordow.

But Trump’s comments Tuesday appear to have killed it. “We’re not negotiating with people who are shooting at our allies,” a senior State Department official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it was “disappointed” and would continue outreach through other channels. It’s unclear who those channels might be at this point.

What comes next

With no diplomatic off-ramp in sight and Iran showing no sign of standing down, analysts warn the conflict could drag well into the summer. Congressional leaders from both parties have begun calling for a war powers briefing, though the White House has yet to schedule one. The next 72 hours will likely determine whether any third-party mediator — Qatar and Oman have both been mentioned — can find traction where Pakistan couldn’t.