Iran live updates: Tehran has 'no plans' for new round of talks, spokesperson says

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued on Thursday a new warning to the Iranian regime, telling them to "choose wisely" and to reach an agreement with the U.S. to permanently end the war.

"We prefer to do it the nice way, through a deal led by our great vice president and negotiating team, or we can do it the hard way," Hegseth said during a press briefing at the Pentagon. "We urge this new regime to choose wisely."

Hegseth issued a warning to the Iranian leadership, saying that, if an agreement isn't reached, "we're watching you. Our capabilities are not the same. Our military and yours. Remember, this is not a fair fight, and we know what military assets you are moving and where you are moving them to while you are digging out, which is exactly what you're doing, digging out of bombed out and devastated facilities. We are only getting stronger."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are scheduled to hold a press conference at 8 a.m. ET on Thursday, according to the Department of Defense.

In a post on his social media platform, President Donald Trump said the leaders of Israel and Lebanon would be speaking on Thursday, following high-level talks between Israeli and Lebanese diplomats mediated by the U.S. earlier this week.

"Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon," Trump said in the post. "It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow. Nice!"

The White House did not immediately respond to questions about who would be speaking from the Israeli and Lebanese sides.

Trump's announcement of additional talks between the two countries came after the State Department convened a trilateral meeting in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors.

The State Department on Tuesday called this week's talks "the first major high-level engagement between the governments of Israel and Lebanon since 1993."

Administration officials familiar with the ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Iran remain bullish that another in-person meeting between the two will be arranged soon and likely take place before the ceasefire expires next week.

Communication between negotiators from both countries have continued at a steady clip since the first round of talks wrapped, two U.S. officials said, adding that these conversations have taken place primarily though indirect channels but also via direct lines.

The administration's goal is to bring both sides to the brink of an overarching deal to end the conflict that can then be pushed over the finish line in a second face-to-face meeting, according to the officials.

The officials acknowledge that technical talks to hammer out the fine details and implementation of the arrangement will likely take longer to complete, perhaps eventually necessitating an extension of the initial ceasefire, but that pushing back the truce's expiration date isn't a top priority for the administration at the moment.

Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have continued to be involved in negotiations throughout the week, but it's not guaranteed that all three would represent the U.S. in second round of talks, one official said.