President reiterates Iran talks are ongoing, says military options remain on the table

Reporters asked whether talks with Iran were off; the president replied that talks were ongoing and said Iran had requested talks and that other countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, backed the outreach. "We're in talks," the president said, adding the discussions represented a "last chance" for Iran to sign an acceptable document.

The president also said large military options had been readied and that he would prefer an agreement if possible. "I will give people a chance," he said when explaining why he held off on planned attacks, adding that the administration had plans that would have been severe if executed. Reporters pressed for details and for why the president had previously paused attacks; the president said he did not want to carry out a large attack if a diplomatic resolution could be obtained, but he also said if talks failed the military options remained.

The exchange at the White House was limited to on-the-record comments to reporters; the administration did not present documentation of the diplomatic effort at the event.