Dubai: Several Arab states, joined by Pakistan, have appealed to US President Donald Trump to give negotiators more time as indirect talks to end the Iran war continued amid fragile calm and threats of renewed strikes, Bloomberg reported.
While discussions showed signs of movement, Axios and CBS News reported that Trump was preparing for a potential new round of attacks, though he had not yet made a final decision. Iran warned any fresh US or Israeli strikes would widen the conflict to “new regional fronts,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency cited a military source as saying.
Officials in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia pressed Trump to delay any military action, according to people familiar with the outreach. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held separate calls with his Turkish, Qatari and Iraqi counterparts and spoke with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres about “the latest state of the ongoing diplomatic process aimed at ending the war,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Telegram early on Saturday.
Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir — regarded as a favoured interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — arrived in Tehran on Friday. Munir was received by Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, the Pakistani military’s press wing said. A Pakistani security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Munir is expected to take part in talks that will touch on US-Iran negotiations.
Slight Progress, Says Rubio
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there had been “slight progress” in the negotiations and cautioned against overstating it. “I don’t want to exaggerate it, but there’s been a little bit of movement, and that’s good,” he told reporters at a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Sweden on Friday.
At the White House, Trump told reporters that Iran was “dying to make a deal,” while continuing to threaten further strikes if Tehran does not accept terms the US finds acceptable. Since a ceasefire went into effect six weeks ago, Trump has oscillated between saying a peace accord is imminent and warning of renewed aerial assaults.
Opposition To War In US
Washington’s posture comes as domestic opposition to the war has grown among Americans angered by surging gasoline prices tied to disruptions in global energy markets. Polling that shows voter unease has echoed on Capitol Hill as midterm elections approach and control of Congress hangs in the balance.
This week the Republican-led Senate signaled rising skepticism about prolonging the conflict with a procedural vote. On Thursday, Republican leaders abruptly cancelled a planned vote on the war as party absences threatened what could have been an embarrassing setback for the president.
Still, some senior Republicans have urged firmness. Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Trump would be “ill-advised to pursue a deal that would not be worth the paper it is written on.” He added that the commander-in-chief should let US forces “finish the destruction of Iran’s conventional military capabilities and reopen the strait,” referring to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy shipments.
US Seeks Uranium, Iran Eyes Hormuz Tolls
Beyond the strait, the US has insisted Tehran surrender its enriched uranium and suspend enrichment for at least a decade — demands Iranian leaders have rejected, arguing they have a right to the process under international agreements. Iran’s ambassador to France, Mohammad Amin-Nejad, told Bloomberg this week that Tehran was discussing with Oman a form of permanent tolls for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a move the U.S. has called unacceptable.
Senator Rubio said any such tolls “would set a precedent for other areas of the world and that no country should accept the imposition of tolls in Hormuz,” reflecting U.S. concern about efforts Tehran may make to exert leverage over shipping lanes.
