US President Donald Trump will consider lifting the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in order to overcome the deadlock in peace talks.
The US President said he would look at ending the US naval operation in the Arabian Sea if it meant the two countries could move towards a deal, Pakistani officials have said.
Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir, a key mediator between Tehran and Washington, urged Trump to lift the blockade in a phone call on Sunday, Reuters reported.
Trump said he would consider the recommendation, having previously set out that the US would maintain its blockade until a permanent peace deal was secured.
Earlier Monday, Esmail Baghaei, a spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, told state media that a delegation from Tehran would not travel to Islamabad for a second round of negotiations.
Mediators in Pakistan are attempting to convince Washington to end its naval blockade of Iranian ports, a senior Iranian official has said.
The US Navy launched the blockade after Tehran refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping lane that has been closed since the start of the war.
A senior Iranian official also told Reuters on Monday that Tehran was still considering whether to take part in peace talks with the US in Pakistan.
No final decision had been made, the official said.
Moreover, Donald Trump has said he is willing to meet Iran’s senior leaders in order to push through a peace deal.
The US President told the New York Post that JD Vance, the Vice President, was en route to Pakistan for fresh peace talks but added that meeting Iran’s leaders would be “no problem”.
“I have no problem meeting them,” he said. “If they want to meet, and we have some very capable people — but I have no problem meeting them.”
He said a commitment by Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions would be central to any negotiations.
“Get rid of their nuclear weapons. That’s all very simple,” he said. “There will be no nuclear weapon.”
He added that Iran has the potential to thrive if it complies.
“Otherwise, a wonderful country — it truly could be,” he added.
Source: The Telegraph
-- Agencies
