Trump: “New negotiations with Iran today”. Tehran denies: “No negotiations”

Donald Trump announced that new negotiations with Iran will begin this afternoon, after saying he had suspended a joint attack with Israel against the Islamic Republic as long as a deal was reached quickly. But Tehran denies it

“Obviously they don’t want to be attacked. They knew the scale of this attack because they saw it taking shape (…) What we are doing now is talking to them through negotiation. It will start tomorrow afternoon (Monday),” the American president said on board his Air Force One plane.

Trump said he was asked to cancel the planned attack from allies such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Iran itself. “We were ready to go, but when allies asked us to cancel it, they kind of talked us into saying, ‘Well, let’s see.’ And the reason they’re asking is they think there’s a deal,” Trump said.

“There is a deal on Hormuz, and then there will be a nuclear deal, or you could call it the denuclearization of Iran. I call it the denuclearization of Iran.”

Tehran: “We are not currently negotiating with the United States”

For now, Iran e United Statesi’m not dealing. This was clarified by the spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baqaei, as reported by the Iranian media. “We are not negotiating with the United States at the moment,” he said, and “as long as US violations of commitments continue, the situation Strait of Hormuz it won’t change.” Tehran announced in recent days the closure of the strait.

To clarify that there is nothing in preparation, the spokesperson reported that today the Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, “is leaving for the pilgrimage ofArbaeen and the other members of the negotiating delegation are also in Iran.”

At the moment, Baqaei underlined, talks are underway “only with Oman” and “are focused on establishing a safe route for navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.” That said, even if an agreement were to be reached it would be “a necessary condition for the reopening of the Strait, but not a sufficient condition”.   Hormuz, he recalled, “was not closed due to differences between Iran and Oman. The situation became complicated following the aggression of the United States and the Zionist regime (Israel)”.

Iran later clarified that “there are no new mediators” between the regime and the United States, not even China. “Pakistan plays a mediating role in issues concerning Iran and the United States. Qatar also provides assistance when necessary”, recalled the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baqaei.

“China is concerned about the worsening of conflicts and insecurity in the region. For this reason, our Chinese friends are trying to use their capabilities and influence to avoid further escalation of the situation,” he explained, “in this sense, China contributes, as do several other countries. However, to say that we have added a new mediator to the existing ones would not be correct in the precise meaning of the term.”

The explosion in the Strait of Hormuz

The Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman had a telephone conversation with Trump during which he urged an easing of war tensions, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported.

An explosion occurred near an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, as reported by the British maritime safety agency UKMTO during the night between Sunday and Monday, specifying that there were no victims. The crew reported “having heard an explosion in the immediate vicinity of the ship. The ship and crew were all declared safe and sound,” the British agency wrote on X, without specifying the origin of the explosion, which occurred 20 nautical miles (37 kilometers) northeast of the Omani city of Khasab.

Regional diplomatic efforts

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud received a phone call from his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, with whom he discussed efforts to ease tensions in the region. The two senior officials, we read in a note from the kingdom’s chancellery, spoke about the current situation and Al Saud underlined Riyadh’s “will to continue regional talks to establish security and stability, in order to achieve the common interests of all the countries and peoples of the region”.

Araghchi had a second telephone conversation with his Saudi counterpart in which Pakistani army commander Asim Munir also participated, to discuss recent diplomatic efforts. According to a message posted on Telegram by Araghchi, the officials discussed “initiatives aimed at maintaining and strengthening security and stability in the West Asian region.” “The parties also underlined the need to leverage regional cooperation capabilities and find solutions in this regard,” Araghchi added.