US President Donald Trump has said talks with Iran will begin today after he paused plans for further military action and said he hoped Tehran would agree to a deal addressing its nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One yesterday, Trump declined to set a deadline for an agreement, saying: “We’ll see how it goes.”
Talks are expected to take place through intermediaries, although details of the location and participants have not been unveiled.
The announcement follows Trump’s decision to hold off on a planned US strike against Iran, alongside Israel, after Gulf allies including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates pressed for diplomacy rather than further military escalation.
Trump said he had been prepared to launch a major attack on Iran but had decided to give negotiations a chance. He has repeatedly warned that the US could resume military action if Tehran fails to reach an agreement.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a central issue. The strategic waterway carries around a fifth of global oil and gas shipments, and its partial closure by Iran has disrupted international energy markets and sent prices higher.
Meanwhile, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi has held talks with regional leaders, including in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, as Tehran seeks to negotiate arrangements for shipping through the strait.
It comes as Israeli media reports that twice in the last week, forces were ready to take action against Iran, alongside the US, but were called off at the last moment, warning the stop-start is affecting operational readiness.
Senior defence officials say the repeated cycle of preparing for a possible US strike on Iran, only to see it delayed or halted, is raising concerns about whether Israel can sustain maximum operational readiness over time without affecting other missions, Ynet reported.
Israeli officials have warned that Jerusalem will retain the right to act independently if Iran resumes or accelerates its nuclear and missile programmes.
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