American President Donald Trump says the U.S. has held two days of talks with Tehran on a plan to end the war and has scrapped a 48-hour ultimatum to strike power stations, while Iran denies any negotiations and Israel says contacts are with the parliament speaker; officials assess Iran can continue steady daily missile fire toward Israel despite ongoing strikes

Following statements by U.S. President Donald Trump, an Israeli official said Washington has set April 9 as a target date for ending the war, leaving about 21 days for continued fighting and negotiations.

The official said talks between Iran and the United States are expected to take place later this week in Pakistan, adding that Washington has not updated Israel on contacts with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Ending the war by that date could allow Trump to visit Israel on Independence Day to receive the Israel Prize, the official said.

Israeli defense officials assess that even if fighting with Iran continues until then, Tehran is likely to maintain a steady pace of missile fire toward Israel, averaging about 10 launches per day.

Officials said Iran has at times launched between 12 and 15 missiles daily, while on other days the number has dropped to about seven. However, they said Iran has struggled to carry out large-scale barrages, in part due to damage to its command-and-control systems.

According to updated Israeli military data, about 330 missile launchers in Iran have been taken out of use. Roughly half were destroyed and the rest rendered inoperable after being trapped in tunnels or underground facilities. Israeli estimates indicate that between 100 and 150 launchers remain operational.

Intercepted Iranian missile

The Israeli military said it struck multiple targets overnight, including a headquarters of the Quds Force, an elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guard that oversees and coordinates operations abroad. Additional strikes targeted a Revolutionary Guard air defense headquarters, a ground forces command center located in a large military compound in central Tehran, Quds Force intelligence facilities and a site used to produce naval cruise missiles by Iran's Defense Ministry. The military also said it hit production industries and research sites linked to electronics, ballistic missiles and warheads, adding that the strikes are continuing according to plan.

In Lebanon, Israeli forces continue to target Hezbollah positions. Defense officials assess that the group's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburbs is nearly deserted and that Hezbollah has largely avoided initiating direct clashes or organized defensive combat. Iran's Foreign Ministry denies any negotiations with the US Iranian officials publicly rejected the prospect of negotiations. A military official told the Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with Iran's government, that Iran has "prepared surprises for the coming days" that would make the outcome clear. Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said "there is no logic in negotiations under these circumstances" and that Iran's adversaries "understand only the language of force and missiles."

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (Photo: AP / Vahid Salemi)

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Iran had received messages from "friendly countries" indicating U.S. interest in talks to end the war, but Tehran has not responded. He added that Iran's position on the Strait of Hormuz and conditions for ending the conflict remain unchanged. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that the United States sought a meeting with Ghalibaf, but Iran has yet to reply. The Financial Times reported that Pakistani officials have been relaying messages between Iranian representatives and Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Source: Ynet news