President Trump Says Monday’s Hormuz Talks Will Precede Nuclear Negotiations
By The Media Line Staff
President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz will begin Monday, one day after he called off what he had described as a massive US strike against Iran, even as new maritime security incidents were reported near the strategic waterway.
“We’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon, and we’ll see if it’s [good]. I’d love to do that. We’d save a lot of lives, save a lot of unnecessary power,” President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
He said he suspended the planned attack after Iran requested renewed negotiations, a claim Tehran has denied. He also said Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar urged him to postpone military action because they believed an agreement could be reached.
President Trump’s account of regional support also differed from Wall Street Journal reporting that said the United Arab Emirates favored stronger action against Iran rather than deescalation.
“We were all set to go at this time right now, and it would have been a massive attack … but [then] the allies asked to call it off … The reason they ask is they think there’s a deal. There’s a deal on Hormuz, and then there will be a deal on the denuclearization of Iran,” he said.
President Trump’s latest comments indicate the issue of reopening the Strait of Hormuz would be addressed before negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, differing from remarks on Saturday in which he said the proposed agreement would address both issues.
As President Trump announced the planned talks, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported additional security incidents near the Strait of Hormuz. On Sunday, a commercial tanker reported hearing an explosion while sailing about 20 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman. The vessel and crew were unharmed.
The UKMTO also reported that another tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile that damaged its engine room, while two additional vessels reported nearby explosions. No casualties or pollution were reported.
The agency urged ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity as commercial traffic through both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab Strait declined amid heightened regional tensions, although some Saudi crude tankers continued operating in the area despite the security concerns.
Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
Be First to Comment