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Direct U.S.-Iran talks on ending the war could be held in Islamabad as early as this week, Reuters reported, as a U.S. official confirmed to Semafor that military strikes on Iranian military sites, naval forces, ballistic missiles and the defense industrial base are continuing despite the five-day pause on energy infrastructure attacks.
While Israel also stated that it would continue its offensive regardless of the diplomatic track.
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A U.S. official told Semafor that Trump's five-day pause applies only to Iran's energy sites and not to other military operations.
"The stop on attacks for five days is only on their energy sites. It is not on the military sites and the navy, and the ballistic missiles, and the defense industrial base. The initial initiatives of Operation Epic Fury will continue," the official said.
The official described the approach as a deliberate strategy. "He knows what he's doing, and we are now sort of on a dual track," the official told Semafor.
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The U.S. official said Trump, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are the only three individuals currently authorized to negotiate with Iran.
"Vice President J.D. Vance may be 'leveraged' if and when necessary. Israel is not a direct party to the talks but is being kept informed," the official noted, adding that any agreement reached would also be in Tel Aviv's interests.
Trump told reporters on Monday that the U.S. is communicating with a "top person" in Iran, but not with the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
He declined to name the individual, saying: "I don't want him to be killed."
Trump also said Iran had "agreed they will not have a nuclear weapon" and claimed approximately 15 points of agreement had been reached, adding: "I think there's a very good chance we're going to end up in a deal."
A senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official told CBS News that Iran has received a message from the United States through mediators and that "we received points from the U.S. through mediators and they are being reviewed."
Until now, intermediaries including Egypt, Pakistan and several Gulf states have been relaying messages between Washington and Tehran, a European official told Reuters. Iran's Foreign Ministry had initially denied that any talks were taking place.
A source cited by Axios said Egypt, Pakistan, and Türkiye passed messages between the U.S. and Iran and were attempting to set up a call on Monday between Ghalibaf and Trump's team.
Reuters separately reported that direct U.S.-Iran talks could be held in Islamabad as early as this week.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also discussed the war's impact on regional and global security in a phone call on Monday.
Speaking at an event in Tennessee, Trump said the U.S. has "eliminated everything there is to eliminate" in Iran.
"We're systematically dismantling the regime's ability to threaten America. They're not threatening us anymore," he said.
He warned that Iran now has "one more opportunity to end its threats to America and our allies, and we hope they take it."
Trump said the U.S. was "planning tomorrow on shooting down some of their power plants" before he decided to hold off.
He said a deal would be good for everybody, "as good as if we went all the way and annihilated" Iran.
"Hopefully we won't have to do it, and hopefully we can make a deal that's good for all of us, including the Middle Eastern allies that have been very good to us, including Israel, that's been a great partner in this fight," he said.
The Israeli army said Monday it will continue its offensive in Iran regardless of Trump's diplomatic announcement.
"We will continue our operations in Iran according to the directives of the political leadership until further instructions are received," the army said in a statement carried by Channel 12.
Regional escalation has continued since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing so far over 1,340 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military assets.
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