US and Israel coordinated airstrikes hit over 9,000 Iranian sites—even as backchannel US–Iran nuclear negotiations advance through Pakistan intermediaries
WASHINGTON / TEHRAN — The US and Israel launched sweeping coordinated airstrikes against Iranian military infrastructure on Monday, striking more than 9,000 sites, including nuclear-adjacent facilities near Bushehr and key installations in Isfahan and western Iran.
The assault degraded Iran’s navy, air force, and missile capabilities in one of the most extensive military operations in the Middle East in decades.
Simultaneously, President Donald Trump confirmed that Washington and Tehran are engaged in active backchannel peace negotiations, a stunning diplomatic contradiction that has stunned global observers.
U.S. and Israeli forces targeted Iranian military sites across multiple provinces, striking navy bases, air defense systems, ballistic missile stockpiles, and leadership compounds.
The joint operation also targeted areas near the Bushehr nuclear power plant, a move that sharply escalates the confrontation’s nuclear dimension.
Iranian state media confirmed widespread explosions in Isfahan, a city that houses critical defense infrastructure.
According to U.S. defense officials, the campaign was designed to permanently degrade Iran’s offensive military capabilities, particularly its drone and missile programs that have threatened regional allies.
“Iran has agreed not to pursue nuclear weapons. We are talking, and we are also acting.” — President Donald Trump, White House Address
Peace talks behind closed doors
President Trump, addressing reporters from the White House on Monday evening, confirmed that Washington has been negotiating with Tehran through intermediaries, including Pakistan. Key administration figures, Vice President JD Vance, senior adviser Jared Kushner, and special envoy Steve Witkoff, have participated in the high-stakes diplomatic process.
Trump said Iran had, in principle, agreed not to develop nuclear weapons and had offered a significant concession tied to oil and gas access, a potential economic lifeline as crippling U.S. sanctions continue to batter the Iranian economy. “Iran has agreed not to pursue nuclear weapons. We are talking — and we are also acting,” Trump stated.
Tehran responds
Iran’s government confirmed that US officials had reached out through legitimate diplomatic channels. Iranian leadership outlined its core demands: control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply flows, and substantial relief from U.S. and international sanctions that have contracted Iran’s GDP by an estimated 15% since 2018.
A senior Iranian official, speaking anonymously to regional media, expressed cautious openness.
“We have heard the proposals,” the official said. “Iran’s demands are clear. But we remain on the table if the other side is serious.”
Regional mediators from Pakistan and Gulf states are actively facilitating dialogue, with sources indicating a potential high-level face-to-face summit could be scheduled within weeks, even as military strikes continued on Monday.
The simultaneous pursuit of military strikes and peace negotiations represents an extraordinary, and deeply risky, dual strategy. Foreign policy analysts warn that continued strikes could collapse the emerging diplomatic track entirely.
“This is brinkmanship at a scale the modern world has rarely seen,” said Dr. Leila Ahmadi, a Middle East policy expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. “Both sides appear to be negotiating under fire—literally. The question is whether the talks survive the bombs.”
Oil markets responded immediately, with Brent crude spiking more than 8% to above $110 per barrel. Global stock futures fell sharply in overnight trading as investors braced for prolonged instability in the Persian Gulf.
What comes next
The coming 72 hours are widely seen as pivotal. If Iran retaliates militarily, particularly by closing the Strait of Hormuz, the conflict could spiral into a full regional war. Conversely, if both sides maintain the diplomatic back channel, a historic deal to permanently cap Iran’s nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief and economic normalisation could reshape the Middle East for a generation.
For now, the world watches an unprecedented gamble: bombs and bargaining, bombs and bargaining — with the stakes being nothing less than war or peace in the world’s most volatile region.
