US warns Iran of harsher strikes if it does not accept defeat

The White House warned Wednesday that the United States is prepared to escalate military action against Iran if it does not accept what Washington describes as its battlefield defeat, as talks to end the war continue, ⁠press secretary Karoline Leavitt said ⁠Wednesday.

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

Iran is still reviewing a U.S. ⁠proposal ⁠to end the war, despite an initial response that was negative, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday, indicating that Tehran had so far stopped short of rejecting it outright. Talks with Iran were still under way, Leavitt said. "Talks continue. They are productive, as the president said on Monday, and they continue to be," she added.

Citing unnamed sources, media ⁠outlets on Tuesday reported that Washington sent Tehran a 15-point plan on ending the war. Leavitt said on Wednesday that elements of the reports were ​not fully accurate, but she did not provide specifics.

https://www.dailysabah.com/world/americas/us-warns-iran-of-harsher-strikes-if-it-does-not-accept-defeat

"Declare you have been defeated...or else" does not seem to be a great negotiating tactic to me. What it does indicate is that a lot more Iranian civilians -- and Americans -- are going to die.