White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that US-Iran talks are still planned following the downing of an Iranian drone approaching an American aircraft carrier in the Oman Sea.

Leavitt stated, "I just spoke with Special Representative Witkoff, and the talks are still on track." In a press briefing, Leavitt addressed questions regarding how the rising tensions after the downing of the Iranian drone near the USS Abraham Lincoln would affect the planned discussions between the US and Iran.

She emphasized, "President Trump has always been in favor of giving diplomacy a chance first.

However, for diplomacy to succeed, the other side must also be willing.

This will be the goal of Special Representative Witkoff's contacts for exploration and consultation.

As always, the President has many options on the table regarding Iran.

I think they saw this quite well with last year's 'Midnight Strike Operation.' It was a very successful operation that destroyed their nuclear capabilities.

However, from our perspective, the talks will continue this week."