Donald Trump expresses confidence as Tehran considers joining Pakistan talks
Steve Holland
Updated ,first published
The United States has expressed confidence that peace talks with Iran will continue in Pakistan this week, and a senior Iranian official said Tehran is considering joining, but significant obstacles and uncertainties remain as the two-week ceasefire nears its end.
US President Donald Trump said Vice President J.D. Vance was preparing to join the US delegation to Islamabad for the second round of talks but appeared to rule out the “highly unlikely” extension of the two-week ceasefire with Iran if a deal is not reached.
The president said the ceasefire ended “Wednesday evening Washington time” and a Pakistani source involved in the talks said the ceasefire would end at 8pm US time on Wednesday (10pm Thursday time, AEST).
Trump wants a deal that would prevent further oil price increases and stock market shocks, but insists Iran cannot develop nuclear weapons. Tehran hopes to strengthen its control of the Strait of Hormuz, which is vital to reaching a deal that prevents a resumption of war, eases sanctions but does not hinder its nuclear program.
Trump was optimistic Tuesday about reaching a “great deal” with Iran but said the U.S. military was ready to continue bombing. asked in an interview with CNBC If progress in negotiations allows the ceasefire to “continue” beyond the deadline, Trump responded: “Well, I don’t want to do that. We don’t have that much time. They need to negotiate.”
Trump insisted on Monday that he would not be “rushed into making a bad deal.”
Speaking to Reuters, the Iranian official emphasized that he “positively evaluated” Tehran’s participation in the negotiations, but emphasized that no decision in this direction had been taken before.
On Tuesday, Iranian state television said that “no delegation from Iran has visited Islamabad so far.”
A Pakistani source involved in the discussions said there was momentum to restart talks on Wednesday and that Trump could attend in person or virtually if a deal is signed.
“Things are progressing and talks are going well for tomorrow as well,” the source said on Tuesday on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, the US State Department confirmed that Israeli and Lebanese representatives will hold second round of talks in Washington on Thursday; This was the first meeting between the two countries since a 10-day ceasefire in the Lebanon conflict came into effect last week.
Ships trying to pass Hormuz
Three ships – two cargo ships and a fuel tanker – appeared to be trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday as the US and Iran blockades continued.
The Iranian-flagged cargo ship Shoja 2 crossed the strait and proceeded towards the Gulf of Oman, but then stopped giving a position signal. The ship’s progress is being closely monitored after the US Navy seized another Iranian ship on Sunday; It was the first capture since Washington blockaded the waterway last week.
The other two ships have no clear connection to Iran. While the Gambian-flagged cargo ship Lian Star passed the strait and turned south, the medium-range tanker Ean Spir, whose owner was unknown, sailed northeast from the waters off the United Arab Emirates, heading towards Oman.
Traffic in the vital waterway, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes, has come to a near standstill after a chaotic weekend in which Iran declared the corridor open before closing it after the United States refused to lift its blockade of Iranian ports.
Approximately 800 ships are stranded in the Persian Gulf.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned the United States for the attack on the Iranian merchant ship Touska over the weekend and demanded the immediate release of the ship, its crew and their families.
“Iran will use all its capabilities to defend its national interests and security and protect the rights and dignity of its citizens… The United States will bear full responsibility for further escalation of tensions in the region,” he said, according to Iranian state media.
Maritime security sources said the ship was likely carrying dual-use items that could be used by Washington’s military. US Central Command said the Touska crew did not comply with repeated warnings and violated the blockade.
China, the main buyer of Iranian crude oil, has expressed concerns about “forced intervention”. On Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a rare phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, calling for the restoration of free movement across the strait and a complete end to hostilities.
Oil prices fell and stocks rebounded in early trading in Asia on Tuesday on expectations that talks would resume; It rose nearly 6 percent the previous day amid doubts about whether talks will continue.
Brent crude futures fell 54 cents, or 0.6 percent, to $94.94 a barrel and May West Texas Intermediate fell $1.11, or 1.2 percent, to $88.50 a barrel.
‘They will negotiate’
Since the war started on February 28, thousands of people have been killed in the US-Israeli attacks on Iran and the parallel Israeli invasion of Lebanon. The war has triggered a historic shock to global energy supplies and fears that prolonged conflict could plunge the global economy into recession.
Speaking on the John Fredericks Media Network on Monday, Trump said Iran would negotiate but reiterated that Washington would not allow Tehran to develop nuclear weapons.
‘As commander-in-chief, the president still has many options at his disposal that he is not afraid to use.’
Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary
“They will negotiate and hopefully get a fair deal and rebuild their country, but when they do they won’t have nuclear weapons,” Trump said.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News: Hannity The program said a deal with Iran was close “thanks to the success of the military operation and (Trump’s) hard-line negotiating style.”
“And if not, the president, as commander in chief, still has many options that he feels comfortable exercising,” Leavitt said.
Over the weekend, Trump warned that the United States would destroy all bridges and power plants in Iran if it rejected his terms, while Iran vowed to hit power plants and desalination plants in its Gulf Arab neighbors in retaliation for any attack on its civilian infrastructure.
On Tuesday, Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Galibaf, warned that Tehran had “new cards to play on the battlefield” if the conflict resumed, saying the country “will not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats.”
Reuters, AP, Bloomberg
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