Trump says US-Iran talks ‘moving along very nicely’

DUBAI/WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said his administration held “very good discussions” with Iran during a full day of negotiations on Tuesday, raising hopes that the five-month conflict could be nearing an end.

Speaking on Fox News‘ “@ Night,” Trump said talks were “moving along very nicely” and that the Strait of Hormuz “is going to be open very soon.” He warned, however, that Tehran would face severe consequences if it walked back from any agreement: “If they back out again, they are going to get hit really hard.”

Trump has repeatedly threatened large-scale strikes against Iran when talks stalled, only to later point to progress in negotiations that have yet to bring the conflict to a close.

According to Axios, which cited two regional sources and a US official, Washington and Tehran are nearing an interim deal to reopen the strait with Oman’s involvement, given Muscat’s control over part of the waterway. The report said the US was hoping to announce an agreement as early as Wednesday.

Separately, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said talks with Oman over shipping lanes through the Hormuz strait were continuing on a “positive” note.

The prospect of a breakthrough lifted markets on Wednesday, with oil prices extending losses in Asian trade after Wall Street closed at record highs on optimism that a resolution could soon restore traffic through the blockaded strait.

However, Iranian state media, citing an informed source, said an agreement with Oman on the strait, which normally carries about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, will be delayed “as long as the United States continues to threaten Iran.”

Qatar also cites also cites progress in talks

Trump has yet to achieve the objectives he set out at the start of the war which are, dismantling Iran’s nuclear programme, curbing its ability to attack regional rivals and creating conditions for Iranians to overthrow their clerical rulers.

Iran has halted most traffic through Hormuz while Washington maintains a blockade of Iran-related shipping and ports. Qatar had earlier said mediators were making progress in efforts to end the conflict, even after Tehran denied that talks were underway.

Trump and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani discussed efforts to narrow differences between Washington and Tehran and improve the prospects for a lasting settlement during a phone call on Tuesday, Qatar’s Emiri office said.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said talks with Oman over transit through the strait were positive and continuing, and were focused on establishing safe shipping lanes, state media reported. He added the route being negotiated was aimed at ensuring the sovereign rights and national security of both Iran and Oman.

Iran has long demanded control over the Strait of Hormuz, which it says it should share with Oman on the opposite shore. But Tehran rejected an Omani proposal last week that would have allowed shared oversight and the collection of voluntary fees from ships.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have also imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, further restricting oil export routes. A projectile struck an Indian-flagged vessel near Yemen, causing it to capsize and sink, but all 14 seafarers on board were rescued, Indian officials said, in an attack Yemen blamed on the Houthis.

The United Nations’ International Maritime Organization has reported at least 17 deaths of seafarers from 64 incidents in the Strait of Hormuz since the war started on February 28. Those are in addition to the Iranian government’s toll of 50 people killed and 500 wounded by U.S. strikes since hostilities renewed in late June, a figure reported before Iran said a U.S. strike on Qeshm in late July killed a husband and wife and their 2-year-old son.

In all Iran has reported more than 3,400 deaths since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on February 28, while the U.S. has reported 18 military personnel dead.