A second round of negotiations with Iran could be held tomorrow, US President Donald Trump has said.
In a comment to the New York Post on the possibility of a breakthrough with Iran, he said: “That is possible.”
This comes as Pakistani sources told the newspaper that a breakthrough could occur within 36 to 72 hours, adding that ‘mediation efforts are positive’.
“We were all prepared for the talks, the stage was set,” a Pakistani official briefed on the preparations told Reuters. “If you ask me honestly, it was a setback we were not expecting, because the Iranians never refused, they were up to come and join, and they still are.”
On Tuesday, Trump announced the continuation of the ceasefire and the naval blockade imposed on Iran until Tehran presents a ‘unified proposal’ to reach a settlement.
In a post on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote that the Pakistani leadership had requested the US to extend the ceasefire to allow Tehran to ‘put forward a unified proposal’.
“Accordingly, I have ordered our armed forces to maintain the blockade and remain on high alert to act, and therefore I am extending the ceasefire until their proposal is submitted and an agreement on negotiations is reached,” he added.
President Trump wants to see a unified response from Iran’s leadership to US proposals to end hostilities, White House Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said yesterday.
Leavitt told reporters that Trump had not set a deadline for an end to the ceasefire extension he announced on Tuesday.
Asked if the White House knows who in Iran will have the ‘final sign off’ on a deal, Leavitt said, “The White House and our intelligence community certainly has a good understanding. But we want to see a unified response.”
There has been a lot of different messaging coming from Iranian leaders, she said, describing it as ‘public nonsense’ that is not the same tone they are striking privately.
Earlier, Leavitt said in an interview with Fox News that Iran must agree to turn over its enriched uranium to the US as part of negotiations to end the war.
Meanwhile, Iran seized two vessels in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, tightening its grip on the strategic waterway after President Donald Trump halted attacks indefinitely, with no indication that peace talks would resume.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps detained the two ships over maritime violations and escorted them to Iranian shores. This marks the first time Iran has seized vessels since the war began at the end of February. Earlier, a British maritime security authority reported that three vessels had come under fire.
&uuid=(email))