President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran have been meeting “directly and indirectly” and that Iran’s new leaders have been “very reasonable” as more US troops arrived in the region and Teheran warned it will not accept humiliation.
Trump’s remarks on Sunday came after Pakistan, which is acting as an intermediary between Teheran and Washington, said it was preparing to host “meaningful talks” in the coming days aimed at ending the month-long Iran conflict.
“I think we’ll make a deal with them, I’m pretty sure, but it’s possible we won’t,” Trump told reporters on Sunday evening as he travelled aboard Air Force One to Washington.
Trump said he thought the US had already accomplished regime change in Teheran after strikes killed the country’s supreme leader and other top officials but said twice that their replacements seemed “reasonable”.
An initial Israeli strike on Feb 28 killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was replaced by his son Mojtaba.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said talks between regional foreign ministers on Sunday covered ways to bring an early end to the war and potential US-Iran talks in Islamabad.
“Pakistan will be honoured to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in the coming days for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the ongoing conflict,” he said. It was not clear whether the United States and Iran had agreed to attend.
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, earlier accused the United States of sending messages about possible negotiations while at the same time planning a ground invasion. Teheran was ready to respond if US soldiers were deployed, he said.
“As long as the Americans seek Iran’s surrender, our response is that we will never accept humiliation,” he said in a message to the nation.
Iranian state media reported strikes had hit Mehrabad airport and a petrochemical plant in the northern city of Tabriz.
A chemical plant in southern Israel near the city of Beersheba was hit by a missile or missile debris as Israel fended off multiple salvos from Iran, prompting official warnings to the public to stay away due to “hazardous materials”.
Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which carries 20% of global oil and gas shipments, has spiked oil prices and spread economic pain around the world.
Stocks slumped in Asia yesterday as investors dug in for a protracted Gulf conflict that already has oil prices heading for a record monthly rise, bringing a spike in inflation and the risk of recession to much of the globe. Japan’s Nikkei index was down 4.7%. — Reuters
