Negotiation push for U.S.-Iran deal punctuated by threats to resume fighting
Netanyahu reportedly pushes for new U.S. strikes on Iran
President Trump told reporters Sunday that he’d spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday and had a “very good talk with him.”
Mr. Trump gave no details but said the two had discussed the war in Iran.
According to sources cited by Axios, Netanyahu pushed for Mr. Trump to strike Iran but the president wants to let the negotiations play out.
The U.S. and Iran both engaged in indirect talks via mediators led by Qatar who are pushing to strike a deal between both sides before the conflict escalated.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly hinted he is considering resuming attacks on Iran after the midterm elections.
Push for U.S.-Iran deal shadowed by threats to resume fighting
Qatari mediators are leading indirect talks aimed at reaching a deal between the U.S. and Iran, but the closed door negotiations have been punctuated by exchanges of threats between the leaders of both countries.
Iranian negotiators are in Qatar for talks on a proposal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz soon, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who added the outcome depends on answers provided by the United States.
On Saturday, President Trump said the U.S. still had to “take care of” one or two more potential targets in Iran, citing a suspected nuclear complex at Pickaxe Mountain. On Sunday he reiterated the threat, saying he may have to give Tehran “the hammer” at some unspecified time.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei warned on Saturday there would be no “geographical limitations” should the fighting with the U.S. resume, adding that there is a “vast theatre” to inflict damage.
Both sides have previously acknowledged that indirect talks are underway but consistently exchange threats.
CBS/AFP
UAE hopes for diplomacy but braces for “the worst”
The United Arab Emirates’ presidential adviser said Sunday that his country hopes a diplomatic breakthrough in Qatar-led mediations is possible, but that they are also preparing for the possibility of escalation.
Speaking at a security forum in Bahrain, Anwar Gargash said Iran’s attacks on Gulf countries such as the UAE made this a “watershed year” for the region.
“We don’t really want to see another round of confrontation in the region,” Gargash told the audience. But he added that his country and the region are braced for the “the worst,” referring to the resumption of active hostilities.
The UAE was consistently targeted by Tehran in the opening weeks of the war in retribution for U.S. strikes on Iran, disrupting tourism and daily life, and effectively throwing the security landscape of the region into question.
CBS/AP
Vessel struck in Strait of Hormuz, U.K. maritime agency says
A vessel was struck on Sunday by “an unknown projectile” in the Strait of Hormuz, a British maritime security agency said, after Qatari media reported an earlier attack on a gas tanker.
Britain’s UKMTO maritime agency said “the master of a merchant vessel has relayed a mayday call… stating that another vessel has been struck by an unknown projectile” in the strait.
Earlier, Qatar’s state news agency said a Qatari gas tanker had been attacked on Friday with “unidentified objects” while transiting Gulf waters. None of the crew members onboard the vessel were injured, and there was no environmental impact from the attack, the report said.
The attack struck a liquefied natural gas carrier, Al Mayeda, which belongs to the Qatar Gas Transport Company, Qatar News Agency said.
Since the Middle East war began in February, Iran has been targeting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Gulf in an effort to assert control over shipping.
