US President Donald Trump said Washington is engaged in “very friendly negotiations” with Iran after pausing military strikes last week, raising hopes that weeks of escalating attacks could give way to renewed diplomacy.
Speaking to supporters in Michigan on Monday, Trump said there was “a good chance” of progress in talks aimed at ending months of fighting, but reiterated his warning that military action could resume if negotiations fail.
Iran has publicly denied holding direct talks with Washington at all. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was not negotiating with the United States but added that “intermediaries may convey messages from the American side to us regarding ongoing developments in the region”.
According to Axios, Oman is leading the mediation effort, with Qatar, Pakistan and Egypt also involved alongside Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
The diplomatic push comes after fighting subsided again on Friday, after nearly two weeks of attacks by both sides had raised fears of a renewed, wider regional war.
Those strikes had threatened to upend a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in June which extended an April ceasefire and established a framework agenda for broader negotiations. However, disputes over its implementation and the wording of several clauses quickly emerged, particularly relating to control of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important shipping routes.
On Tuesday, the third day of renewed talks continued, with the Strait of Hormuz at the centre of the discussions, as negotiators sought to salvage the agreement and prevent another round of fighting.
Questions remain, however, over whether this latest diplomatic push can succeed where previous efforts have failed. The talks also come against the backdrop of a rapidly shifting strategic landscape: the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen have opened another front in the Red Sea, Ukraine has become increasingly drawn into the conflict, reports suggest US stockpiles of key munitions may be under pressure, Iran’s economy continues to face mounting strain, and oil markets remain volatile.
Trump’s potentially fraught meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday could also influence the direction of negotiations.
Source: www.aljazeera.com