Trump: Iran talks progressing well
President Donald Trump indicated on Saturday that negotiations with Iran are progressing well. He also exchanged with authorities from several Gulf states, as well as other countries in the region.
An agreement between the United States and Iran to end the war has been “largely negotiated,” Donald Trump affirmed on Saturday, but is “subject to finalization” between the two countries and others in the region.
The agreement project includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the American president stated on his Truth Social platform, specifying that he had a call with the leaders of several Gulf states, as well as Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Pakistan.
Donald Trump also mentioned discussing with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a “separate” call, which went “very well”. American media outlets have reported in recent days on diverging strategies between Donald Trump and his Israeli ally, with the former pushing for a diplomatic solution while the latter would prefer to resume fighting.
The trend towards “rapprochement” with American positions
The spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated that the trend was towards “rapprochement” with American positions. However, “this does not necessarily mean that we and the United States will reach an agreement on important issues,” Esma’il Baghaei emphasized.
The spokesperson clarified that the nuclear issue was not “at this stage” part of the ongoing agreement discussions, unlike the lifting of the naval blockade imposed by the United States and the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, de facto blocked by Iran since the beginning of the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28th.
Still on Saturday, the chief Iranian negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, promised an “overwhelming” response if the United States resumed their war against Iran, following reports from American media outlets that President Donald Trump was considering new strikes against Tehran.
A ceasefire since April 8th
After more than a month of war that has caused thousands of deaths and shaken the global economy, a ceasefire has been in effect since April 8th between Iran and the United States.
Diplomatic contacts have multiplied in the Gulf in recent hours in an attempt to bring the discussions to a conclusion and avoid a resumption of the war. During the call with Donald Trump, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, notably urged to “prioritize peaceful solutions,” according to his office.
Qatar, like other Gulf petro-monarchies allied with the United States, was targeted by Iranian retaliatory fire on its territory during the early weeks of the war.
Donald Trump is seeking a way out of this unpopular war in his country, which has seriously disrupted the global economy. One-fifth of the world’s consumed crude oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the Strait of Hormuz before the conflict.
