WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Monday warned Iran that any attack resulting in the death of an American soldier would trigger a far stronger military response, as mediators intensified diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the renewed tensions and revive negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said every time Iran killed an American soldier, it would “pay for that killing many times over”. He added that the directive had been conveyed to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Daniel Caine and US military leaders.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 20, 2026
The warning came as a high-level Iranian delegation, led by Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, arrived in Islamabad for talks with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi as part of mediation efforts aimed at reducing tensions and reviving dialogue between the United States and Iran.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi received the Iranian counterpart upon arrival at the Nur Khan Air Base on Monday evening. Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam was also present on the occasion.
ایران کے وزیر داخلہ اسکندر مومنی اعلی سطح کے وفد کے ہمراہ پاکستان کے دورہ پر اسلام آباد پہنچ گئے
وفاقی وزیرداخلہ محسن نقوی نے ائرپورٹ پر اپنے ایرانی ہم منصب اسکندر مومنی کا خیر مقدم کیا
وزیر مملکت داخلہ طلال چوہدری نے ایرانی وزیر داخلہ اسکندر مومنی کو گلدستہ پیش کیا pic.twitter.com/vUYuuMfaJV
— Ministry of Interior GoP (@MOIofficialGoP) July 20, 2026
According to the Interior Ministry, Eskandar Momeni will meet with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
“I hope that Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni has brought good news,” Mohsin Naqvi said. He further said the visit will not only strengthen bilateral relations, but progress is also expected on the regional situation.
The visit comes at a time of renewed tensions between the United States and Iran after Tehran announced it was suspending its commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), accusing Washington of violating the agreement.
The Islamabad MoU, brokered by Pakistan, was signed in June to end hostilities between the two countries and pave the way for a lasting peace agreement to permanently end the conflict.
The Islamabad MoU was signed on June 18 by US President Donald Trump, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, following Islamabad brokered a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
Under the Islamabad MoU, the US and Iran committed to halt military operations, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, and negotiate a comprehensive agreement covering Iran’s nuclear programme, US sanctions, and a permanent ceasefire within 60 days.
US, Iran signal openness to diplomacy
On Monday, the US and Iran signalled that they remain open to diplomacy despite escalating military confrontation, raising hopes of renewed negotiations under the Islamabad MoU.
The diplomatic signals came as oil prices retreated from more than one-month highs after investors reacted to indications that diplomatic efforts to revive talks between Washington and Tehran were continuing.
A senior Iranian official, cited by Reuters, said mediators had conveyed a proposal for a 10-day ceasefire aimed at de-escalating the conflict and reviving an interim agreement reached last month between Tehran and Washington.
مسؤول إيراني يقول لوكالة رويترز إن "الوسطاء اقترحوا هدنة لمدة 10 أيام" بين إيران والولايات المتحدة بهدف العودة إلى طاولة المفاوضات pic.twitter.com/WBTiYv1fM0
— التلفزيون العربي (@AlarabyTV) July 20, 2026
At a weekly press conference in Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said intermediaries had delivered fresh proposals to Iran in recent days and that negotiations with the United States could continue if they served Iran’s national interests, AFP reported.
Asked whether the door to talks with Washington had closed, Baghaei rejected the notion that diplomacy and military action were mutually exclusive.
“I reject the duality of either war or diplomacy. Diplomacy is a tool through which we pursue our national interests, just like war,” he said.
Also Read: US, Iran Signal Openness to Diplomacy as Mediators Seek to De-escalate Conflict and Revive Talks
Baghaei also accused the United States of targeting civilian facilities and infrastructure in several Iranian provinces during its military campaign, saying the attacks demonstrated “America’s destructive logic”, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported.
“We condemn the attacks on infrastructure in the strongest possible terms,” he said.
Rubio says US will continue diplomacy with Iran
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would continue pursuing a diplomatic solution while insisting that any agreement with Tehran must be meaningful and fully implemented.
Speaking before departing for the Philippines for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Rubio accused elements within Iran of attempting to use the Strait of Hormuz as leverage against the international community.
“It is evident that some within Iran want to use the Strait of Hormuz as leverage against the rest of the world,” Rubio said.
He stressed that any disruption to one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes posed a threat to global maritime security and international trade.
.@SecRubio: "Iran is a rich country. One of the reason why Iran is in shambles is because every penny that this regime ever gets — be it through sanctions relief or through the oil they're able to get out — they invest it in Hezbollah. They invest it in Hamas… They should be… pic.twitter.com/E3OrpuBAHa
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 20, 2026
Rubio said the United States would continue protecting freedom of navigation and commercial shipping but urged other countries to share responsibility for securing the strategic waterway.
“The United States will continue to do what is necessary to protect global shipping,” he said. “But other countries also need to step up, whether by providing financial support or military capabilities, to help share that responsibility.”
Responding to questions about diplomacy, Rubio said Washington remained committed to dialogue.
“The United States is always open to diplomacy,” he said. “But it has to be meaningful, and any agreement must be one that Iran is genuinely prepared to honour.”
He added that previous diplomatic efforts had faltered because commitments had not been fully implemented.
“We have made several attempts to engage Iran diplomatically, and we will continue to pursue those efforts. However, any agreement must be based on mutual adherence to its terms,” Rubio said.
US, Iran continue military exchanges
Meanwhile, military operations continued across the Middle East.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said early on Monday that it had launched a ninth consecutive night of strikes targeting Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping and civilian mariners in the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM began conducting a new wave of strikes against Iran at 7 p.m. ET today for the ninth consecutive night. The strikes will continue degrading Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 19, 2026
Kuwait said its air defence systems intercepted hostile drones following what it described as Iranian aggression, while Bahrain activated air raid sirens after saying Iranian drones had targeted the kingdom’s air navigation systems.
Bahrain’s civil aviation authority said flights and air traffic continued to operate normally despite the incident.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had carried out strike on an enemy special operations command centre in Syria’s Al-Tanf region in retaliation for the deaths of Iranian soldiers from Iranshahr.
Tehran also said it had targeted two US military bases in Kuwait on Sunday.
The Strait of Hormuz remains the focal point of the conflict. Before hostilities escalated, around one-fifth of global oil supplies passed through the strategic waterway.
Iran has blocked maritime traffic through the passage since the conflict began, while the United States has tightened restrictions on Iranian ports.
The IRGC said two vessels attempting to transit the strait had been stopped because of unsafe navigation, while two others turned back.
Separately, the IRGC claimed that two oil tankers had been immobilised after explosions while attempting to use an unsafe southern route through the strait.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) also reported that a vessel was on fire northwest of Oman’s Kumzar early on Monday.
According to LSEG shipping data, only four vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, down from eight the previous day.
Islamabad MoU framework
Washington and Tehran have been testing the limits of escalation since Trump announced last week that the ceasefire agreement with Iran is over.
The US military’s Central Command said it concluded its latest round of attacks by hitting surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage and maritime capabilities.
The Islamabad MoU was signed on June 18 by US President Donald Trump, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after Pakistan brokered a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
Under the Islamabad MoU, the US and Iran committed to halt military operations, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping and negotiate a comprehensive agreement covering Iran’s nuclear programme, US sanctions and a permanent ceasefire within 60 days.
Pakistan and Qatar subsequently co-mediated the first round of high-level negotiations in Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 21.
The talks were attended by US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts
Pakistan is the principal mediator between the US and Iran after it secured a ceasefire on April 08 and hosted the highest level of talks between the two nations on April 12 and 13 in Islamabad.
Pakistan, which brokered the ceasefire and has continued to mediate between Washington and Tehran, has urged all parties to honour the agreement.
The first round of Pakistan and Qatar mediated US-Iran talks, led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, was held in Switzerland a week ago, and Washington waived sanctions on Tehran.
After the talks, Pakistan and Qatar announced significant progress in diplomatic efforts between the US and Iran following the conclusion of the first round of high-level talks in Switzerland.
