NEW YORK, March 25. /TASS/. The United States has no plans to scale down its military operation against Iran during talks with Tehran, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

"As President Trump and his negotiators explore this newfound possibility of diplomacy, Operation Epic Fury continues unabated to achieve the military objectives laid out by the commander-in-chief and the Pentagon," she told The New York Times.

The newspaper points out, citing two officials, that the US had sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war. "It was unclear how widely the plan, delivered by way of Pakistan, had been shared among Iranian officials and whether Iran was likely to accept it as a basis for negotiations. Nor was it clear whether Israel, which has been bombing Iran together with the United States, was on board with the proposal," The New York Times notes.

The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in the joint US-Israeli attack.

According to reports from the US, Washington and Tehran have recently communicated through mediators, including Pakistan. However, Tehran has denied the US leadership’s claims of productive talks being underway between the two countries.