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Pause, talks, and threats
President Donald Trump said the United States is holding “very friendly” talks with Iran while warning that if diplomacy fails the U.S. will “go back to doing what we were doing two days ago.”
“Trump: 'Very friendly' talks between the United States and Iran”
CBS News reported that the Iranian regime insisted it is not engaged in any direct talks with the U.S., while acknowledging ongoing talks with Oman aimed at establishing “mechanisms regarding maritime traffic” in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran would not allow the United States to set a date for war and peace and said the waterway “remains closed.”
ABC News said the U.S. and Iran have nonetheless continued to exchange strikes with the Strait of Hormuz the primary flashpoint, even as Trump said there are “very friendly negotiations” happening with Iran.
DW reported that Iran rules out U.S. talks while the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and that mediators remain active even though Tehran and Washington are not currently holding talks.
Competing claims and mediation
Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran rejected a U.S. proposal during negotiations in Islamabad, describing it as containing “extreme demands,” and said the U.S. delegation ended the talks after threatening to walk away.
The Times of Israel reported that Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said, “At present, we are not engaged in any negotiations with the United States,” while also saying mediators may convey messages from the American side.
CNN said the Saudi Defense Ministry reported it intercepted several drones targeting oil facilities launched from Iran-backed militias in Iraq, even as the U.S. signaled a pause in Iran strikes.
In parallel, The Guardian said mediators were working to prevent tension from escalating, quoting Esmail Baghaei as saying, “Mediators are working and trying to prevent tension from escalating.”
DW added that mediators remain active even though Iran says it has not sought to resume talks with the U.S., with the Strait of Hormuz remaining closed according to Iran.
What’s at stake next
ABC News said the Iranian Health Ministry reported that the last 12 days of strikes by the U.S. left 60 people dead and about 670 others injured, as the standoff centered on the Strait of Hormuz.
“the last 12 days of strikes by the U.S. left 60 people dead”
The Guardian said the U.S. blamed Iran for strikes on U.S. forces and allies in the region and its closure of the strait of Hormuz, described as a conduit for an estimated 20% of the world’s oil and gas.
DW reported that oil prices fell on Monday as the U.S.-Iran strikes pause, while the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and it also noted Iraq’s pledge to prosecute anyone seeking to strike Saudi Arabia from Iraqi territory.
CBS News reported U.N. experts called on Iran to cancel death penalties given to 10 young men over antigovernment protests in January, saying “Sentencing 12 people to death in one hearing, in a closed courtroom” violates fair trial standards.
In the same CBS News account, the Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said after Iran “once again closed the Strait of Hormuz” following U.S. actions, talks were held in Oman, but he said proposals about keeping a southern route open were not accepted by the Iranian delegation.
