U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that the war with Iran is "going to get wrapped up soon," without saying how, as Qatari mediators returned to Tehran to push for a deal between Iran and the United States.
Trump made the remark in an interview with Kansas City radio station KCMO ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. "We need a guarantee there'll never be a nuclear weapon," he said.
What the Qatari mission involves
A source familiar with the diplomacy told CBS News the Qatari mediators were in Tehran to convey the latest edits to a draft proposal to end the war, and said there were signs of progress. Qatari mediators presented the draft last Sunday, and a response from Iran is expected by the weekend. The proposal aims to avert a return to U.S. military action, which Trump has threatened several times in recent weeks.
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, along with Reuters and AFP, reported that the delegation is led by a senior adviser to Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister. IRNA said it would meet senior Iranian officials and that talks would cover Iran-Qatar relations and regional developments. An official told Reuters the talks were coordinated with the U.S.
Positions remain apart
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Qatar had come only with "unacceptable" ideas and that Tehran would not change its stance on the nuclear issue, which Washington wants included from the start. Tehran wants the U.S. to first lift its blockade of Iranian ports and drop sanctions limiting its oil and gas sales.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday on X that Tehran "continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed." He said Iran is working with mediators on ideas from a proposal it floated last month, which Trump rejected but which Iran still wants as the basis for a new ceasefire agreement.
Trump said Thursday that a letter from Vice-President JD Vance to Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei was meant only to help get medical supplies into Iran, although multiple outlets had reported it as an attempt to restart negotiations. Iran has not replied to the letter, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Moscow this week on the sidelines of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum. Al Jazeera reported they discussed bilateral ties and the effect of U.S.-Iran tensions on regional stability and energy markets.
Strait of Hormuz
U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper said Friday that Iran's navy has been destroyed and that southern shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz are clear of mines and safe. Iran's navy and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said two oil tankers were damaged and caught fire after striking mines on that route, which Tehran considers unauthorized. Iran said a day earlier that four vessels had hit mines.
Oman's navy evacuated 25 crew members from a Panama-flagged commercial vessel that was targeted and caught fire about 1.6 nautical miles off Musandam Governorate, the Omani Maritime Security Center said. The U.K. navy's Maritime Trade Operations centre reported Thursday that a tanker was struck by a projectile in the strait.
Other developments
The Pentagon's casualty portal now lists 23 U.S. military deaths since the war began more than eight months ago: 11 from enemy fire and 12 nonhostile. ExxonMobil reported Friday that third-quarter profit more than doubled to $15.4 billion from $7.5 billion a year earlier, helped by higher oil prices and refining margins. Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude were up about 70 per cent from a year ago.
Comments (0)
Please log in to comment.
No comments yet.