The US and Iran are at odds over peace negotiations in the Middle East, with Trump claiming a deal is 'very possible.' Iran is only reviewing the US proposal, calling it an 'American wish list.'
Key points
US and Iran have conflicting messages on peace negotiations
Trump claims a deal is 'very possible'
Iran is reviewing the US peace proposal
Iranian officials call the proposal an 'American wish list'
Discussions are mediated by Pakistan
Mentioned in this story
Donald TrumpEbrahim RezaeiIranUSPakistan
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Morning and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.
The US and Iran have offered conflicting messages over the state of negotiations to end the war, with Donald Trump signalling the talks were “very good” and a deal “very possible”.
Iranian officials, however, have sought to dampen expectations, with state media reporting that Tehran is, at most, reviewing the US’s peace proposal and considering its response via Pakistani mediators. Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesperson of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy commission, said the proposal to end the war was merely an “American wish list” and “not a reality”.
A motorist rides a scooter in Tehran near a billboard on the facade of a building depicting the strait of Hormuz with a caption in Persian reading “Forever in Iran’s Hand”.
A motorist rides a scooter in Tehran near a billboard on the facade of a building depicting the strait of Hormuz with a caption in Persian reading “Forever in Iran’s Hand”. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
Still, the US president struck a positive tone last night while speaking to journalists about a possible deal, with a few threats sprinkled in.
“We’ve had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it’s very possible that we’ll make a deal,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.
“We’ll see whether or not they are agreeing. And if they don’t agree, they’ll end up agreeing shortly thereafter. That’s the way it is.”
In an interview with US broadcaster PBS, he said there was a “very good chance” of the war ending, adding: “If it doesn’t end, we have to go back to bombing the hell out of them.”
In other developments:
News of a possible deal followed Trump’s abrupt U-turn on a US military operation to guide ships out of the strait of Hormuz, dubbed “Project Freedom”. Trump said the decision to pause the mission on Tuesday – two days after it was launched – was to give peace a chance, but NBC reported that it was suspended after Saudi Arabia refused to allow the US military to use its bases and airspace to carry out the operation. US officials told the American broadcaster that Gulf allies were caught off guard by the sudden announcement of Project Freedom, and that it had angered the leadership in Saudi Arabia.
Q&A
What is Iran's response to the US peace proposal?
Iran is reviewing the US peace proposal but has described it as an 'American wish list' rather than a feasible agreement.
What did Donald Trump say about the peace negotiations?
Donald Trump indicated that the peace talks were 'very good' and that a deal is 'very possible.'
Who is mediating the discussions between the US and Iran?
The discussions are being mediated by Pakistani officials, as reported by Iranian state media.
What conflicting messages are coming from the US and Iran regarding the negotiations?
While Trump expresses optimism about the negotiations, Iranian officials are tempering expectations, stating that the proposal is not a reality.
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The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, told his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, that the US’s behaviour had “deviated the path of diplomacy towards threats, pressure and sanctions” and that Tehran could not trust Washington. In a statement carried by the Iranian state-run Press TV, Pezeshkiansaid Iran hadentered into dialogue with the US twice and “on both occasions, military aggression against Iran took place concurrently with the negotiations. Such behaviour is effectively like ‘stabbing from behind’”.
Iran has denied any involvement in damage to a South Korean-operated vessel in the strait of Hormuz, which suffered an explosion and fire on Monday. Trump blamed the incident on an Iranian attack, while South Korea’s foreign ministry said the cause of the fire would only be confirmed after the vessel is inspected. The Iran embassy in Seoul issued a statement this morning rejecting the allegations, saying safe passage through the waterway requires strict adherence to Iranian regulations.
The damage and destruction inflicted on US military sites across the Middle East during the war is far larger than what has been publicly acknowledged by the Trump administration or previously reported, according to analysis by the Washington Post. Reviewing satellite imagery, the newspaper found Iranian airstrikes have damaged or destroyed at least 228 US structures or pieces of equipment, including hangars, barracks,fuel depots, aircraft and key radar, communications and air defence equipment. The US Central Command declined to comment on the report.
In Lebanon, where a ceasefire has demonstrably failed to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, three people were killed this morning in Israeli strikes on Nabatieh south of the country, according to the official Lebanese National News Agency. The Israeli military said one of its soldiers was seriously injured by an explosive-laden Hezbollah drone in southern Lebanon yesterday. It did not say where the attack took place.
In Gaza, where another ceasefire appears to be fraying, an Israeli airstrike has killed Azzam Khalil al-Hayya, the son of Hamas political bureau leader and chief negotiator****Khalil al-Hayya, according to senior Hamas official Basim Naim. Azzam succumbed to his injuries this morning after being struck in an Israeli attack last night, Reuters reported. He is the fourth son of Hamas’s exiled Gaza chief to have been killed in Israeli attacks.
