WASHINGTON/TEHRAN/JERUSALEM- US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the US has had very good talks over the past 24 hours with Iran on ending the war that has lasted more than two months.

Iran wants to "make a deal badly," Trump said, repeating his claim at an event in the White House.

"They want to make a deal," he told reporters. "We've had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it's very possible that we'll make a deal."

The possible deal could include Iran exporting its highly enriched uranium to the US, according to a PBS News report.

The report said that this time Trump is "unlikely" to send his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to talks with Iran.

'Bombing at much higher level' if deal is not reached

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump threatened that if Tehran doesn't agree to a peace deal with Washington, US forces will resume bombing "at a much higher level and intensity than it was before."

If Iran agrees to the proposed terms, the massive US military campaign against Iran, dubbed Epic Fury, "will be at an end," and the US blockade would allow the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened to all shipping, including Iranian vessels, Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"If they don't agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before," he added.

On Tuesday at a White House news briefing, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the military operation Epic Fury was already over.

"The operation is over. Epic Fury, as the president notified Congress, we're done with that stage of it," Rubio told reporters.

Meanwhile, US forces on Wednesday morning struck and disabled an Iranian-flagged unladen oil tanker sailing toward an Iranian port, the US Central Command said on X.

The strike took place at 9 am US Eastern Time on Wednesday, when the targeted vessel, Hasna, was transiting international waters en route to an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman, said the command in a statement.

"After Hasna's crew failed to comply with repeated warnings, US forces disabled the tanker's rudder by firing several rounds from the 20mm cannon gun of a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet launched from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)," the statement read.

Hasna is no longer transiting to Iran, it added.

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Tehran 'ready to pursue diplomacy to end war'

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said Wednesday the country is ready to pursue diplomatic paths to end the war with the US and Israel, while insisting on safeguarding the Iranian nation's rights.

In a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Pezeshkian expressed deep distrust of the US, citing recent hostile actions, including two attacks on Iran during bilateral talks, which he described as "stabbing Iran in the back," according to a statement published on the website of his office.

Macron on Wednesday called for "all parties" to lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz "without delay and without conditions," after the telephone.

"We must return permanently to the regime of full freedom of navigation that prevailed before the conflict," Macron said on social media platform X in the evening, adding that the future multinational escort mission launched by France and Britain will contribute to the goal.

This Franco-British initiative "will by its nature be separate from the warring parties. The pre-positioning of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is part of this effort," he said, calling on Iran to "seize the opportunity."

Iran is still reviewing a US proposal and will convey its response to Pakistan after completing its assessment, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Wednesday, according to Iran's ISNA news agency.

Baghaei said Iran is summarizing its views on the proposal before sharing them with the Pakistani side, which has been acting as a mediator in the talks, ISNA reported.

ALSO READ: Iran taps allies, neighbors as tensions linger

Netanyahu says Israel fully coordinated with US on Iran

Also on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed reports that Israel was caught off guard by Washington's diplomatic moves toward Iran, saying that he is in near-daily contact with Trump to ensure full coordination.

"We are in continuous contact with our friends in the United States," Netanyahu said. "I speak with President Trump on an almost daily basis. My people and his people speak daily, including today," he said.

He added that he has a planned phone call with Trump again later tonight.

Israel is "ready for all scenarios" in dealing with Iran, Netanyahu said, adding that Israel and the US share the same goals, "with the most important goal being the removal of enriched material from Iran."

Israeli officials have voiced support for renewing attacks on Iran, claiming its nuclear capabilities and ballistic missile stockpiles remain a concern.