NEW DELHI/DUBAI: Iran, the United States and mediator Pakistan all said on Saturday (May 23) that progress had been made in talks on ending almost three months of war.
US President Donald Trump said that negotiators for the United States and Iran were “getting a lot closer” to finalising an agreement to end the war, according to an interview with CBS News.
He said a final agreement would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and would ensure that Iran’s enriched uranium would be “satisfactorily handled,” according to CBS.
Iran, the United States and mediator Pakistan all said on Saturday that progress had been made in talks on ending almost three months of war.
Trump said he would discuss the latest Iran draft agreement with advisers on Saturday and might make a decision on whether to resume the war by Sunday, he told Axios in a separate interview.
“Either we reach a good deal, or I’ll blow them to a thousand hells,” Trump said, according to Axios.
Trump has vacillated between the two poles of diplomacy and military strike since a ceasefire was declared six weeks ago to allow the sides to come to an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program and on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil and gas supply route now controlled by Tehran.
PAKISTAN SAYS PROGRESS “ENCOURAGING”
Tehran is focused on finalising a memorandum of understanding, Iran’s foreign ministry said after Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief.
Munir also met President Masoud Pezeshkian before leaving Tehran, Iranian state media reported. The Pakistani army said negotiations over the previous 24 hours had resulted in “encouraging” progress towards a final understanding
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is visiting India, also said some progress had been made on Iran and that the US might have “something to say” on the issue in the coming days.
“There’s been some progress done, some progress made, even as I speak to you now, there’s some work being done. There is a chance that, whether it’s later today, tomorrow, in a couple days, we may have something to say,” Rubio told reporters in New Delhi.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei added, “The trend this week has been towards a reduction in disputes, but there are still issues that need to be discussed through mediators. We will have to wait and see where the situation ends in the next three or four days.”
