Iran “is responding to a message sent by the US”, Iranian news agency ISNA reported on Thursday (21), adding that the Pakistani army chief’s visit to Tehran aimed to minimize differences and help reach an official announcement of understanding.
On Wednesday night (20) the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baghaei, declared: “We have received the US position and are analyzing it.”
Pakistan, which last month and is acting as a mediator between Tehran and Washington, continues to mediate the conflict, he added. The Pakistani Interior Minister was in Tehran on Wednesday.
Six weeks after a fragile ceasefire came into effect, negotiations to end the war have shown little progress, while soaring oil prices have raised concerns about inflation and the impact on the global economy.
Trump is also under pressure at home ahead of November, with his approval rating falling to near its lowest level since returning to the White House amid rising fuel prices.
“Believe me, if we don’t get the right answers, this could all be over very quickly. We’re all ready to go,” Trump told reporters at Joint Air Force Base Andrews. Asked how long he would wait, the president replied: “It could be a few days, but it could be over very quickly.”
Trump reiterated his determination not to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. “We are in the final stages of negotiations with Iran. We will see what happens. Either we reach an agreement or we will have to take somewhat drastic measures, but I hope that does not happen,” he told reporters.
“Ideally, I would like to see few people killed, rather than many. We can come to an agreement either way.”
Chinese oil tankers cross the Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz, which carried a fifth of oil and liquefied natural gas cargoes before the war, has been largely closed since the start of the conflict in the most serious disruption to global energy supplies in history.
On Wednesday (20), Iran entered the strait and stated that transit would require authorization from an authority created to control the area. The country says it intends to reopen the strait to friendly countries that comply with its terms.
This could include access fees, which Washington considers unacceptable.
Two Chinese supertankers, carrying around four million barrels of oil, left the road on Wednesday, while a South Korean tanker, with two million barrels of crude oil on board, loaded in Kuwait, also crossed the strait in cooperation with Iran.
Shipping monitoring company Lloyd’s List reported that at least 54 ships transited the site last week, about double the number of the previous week.
Iran said the past 24 hours were still only a fraction of the 125 to 140 daily crossings before the war.
Joint US-Israeli bombings killed thousands of people in Iran before the ceasefire.
Israel has also killed thousands and driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes in Lebanon, a country it invaded in search of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah armed group.
Iranian attacks on Israel and neighboring Persian Gulf countries have killed dozens of people.
stated that their war aims were to curb Iran’s support for regional militias, dismantle its nuclear program, destroy its ability to launch missiles, and facilitate the overthrow of the Iranian government.
But Iran has so far maintained its stockpile of enriched uranium near weapons-grade and its ability to threaten neighboring countries with missiles, drones and allied militias.
Its religious rulers, who suppressed a popular uprising earlier this year, have faced no sign of organized opposition since the start of the war.
