Washington: US President Donald Trump is expected to hold consultations on the Iran war with his top security advisors on Monday, as US media reported that negotiations between the rival parties appear to have reached an impasse. The planned meeting comes amid mounting concern that the conflict in the Middle East has hardened into a prolonged standoff, with serious repercussions for the global economy, AFP reported.
Tehran’s top diplomat blamed Washington on Monday for the failure of the talks in Pakistan earlier this month, describing them as the first and only round of negotiations aimed at striking a deal to end the conflict that has engulfed the Middle East and strangled global trade and energy markets. The Pakistani‑mediated session raised initial hopes of a breakthrough but ended without a concrete agreement.
Barak Ravid, global affairs correspondent for the US media outlet Axios, reported that President Trump was expected to hold a meeting with his top national security and foreign‑policy team on Monday to discuss the next steps in dealing with Iran. The session is seen as a key opportunity for Washington to decide whether to escalate pressure, put forward a revised counter‑offer, or leave open the possibility of renewed negotiations under certain conditions.
ABC News quoted two unidentified US officials as saying that Trump would meet with his key security advisors on Iran, adding that a new deal proposed by Tehran to resolve the conflict fell short of Washington’s red lines. The officials said the proposal did not meet core US demands, particularly on the nuclear file and on Iran’s broader regional conduct.
That deal centred on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending a US naval blockade of the vital waterway, with detailed nuclear negotiations to be postponed to a later stage, Axios reported. The framework would allow both sides to address immediate maritime and security issues first, while putting the more contentious nuclear talks on hold.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Islamabad had fanned hopes for fresh negotiations with Washington at the weekend, as his trip was widely interpreted as an attempt to revive the diplomatic channel and keep the peace effort alive. Those expectations were quickly dashed when President Trump scrapped a planned trip by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan for follow‑up discussions with Iranian and regional counterparts.
Trump told Fox News after calling off his emissaries’ trip that, if Iran wanted talks, “they can come to us, or they can call us.” The statement underlined Washington’s insistence on maintaining the upper hand in any future talks, including control over the venue and timing, as the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program continues to weigh heavily on the international economy.
