Washington: US President Donald Trump on Sunday said the United States and Iran would begin negotiations on Monday after Washington agreed to pause planned military strikes, claiming Tehran and several Gulf nations had urged the US to give diplomacy a chance.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar had requested the US to call off the strikes, adding that discussions would focus on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme. He claimed Iran had also sought a pause and that “the parameters of a deal” had already been agreed upon.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said the US remained “locked and loaded” for military action but had suspended the planned attack to allow negotiations to proceed. He said the proposed agreement would include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and steps to address Iran’s nuclear programme.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said negotiations with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz were in their final stages. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei clarified that the talks focused on establishing a new shipping route under a traffic separation scheme while safeguarding Iran’s sovereignty and security interests.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged Tehran to ensure the US honours the recently signed peace memorandum of understanding (MoU), while Acting Defence Minister Seyed Majid Ebn Al-Reza said Iran would remain fully prepared against any military threat despite the diplomatic outreach.
The latest developments come amid heightened regional tensions following recent US-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets and Tehran’s retaliatory missile and drone attacks on US military facilities in the region.
