Washington, March 25 (IANS) President Donald Trump said the United States is in active negotiations with Iran and declared that the conflict had been “won”, even as he swore in Markwayne Mullin as Secretary of Homeland Security at the White House. Speaking to reporters after the swearing-in ceremony, Trump said talks with Iran were underway and involved top members of his administration.“We’re in negotiations, as it turned out. Now, you’ve seen what I said yesterday was exactly c…
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Washington, March 24 (IANS) A series of backchannel talks helped shape President Donald Trump’s decision to pause planned strikes on Iran, according to US media reports.The Wall Street Journal reported that officials from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan were involved in closed-door discussions to find a way out of the conflict.The White House, however, refrained from giving any details. “These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the United States will not negotiate through the…
New York, March 23 (IANS) President Donald Trump on Monday sounded optimistic about an imminent settlement of the Iran War with major points of agreement in talks, while Tehran was signalling that there were no negotiations. Trump told reporters that “we have points, major points of agreement, I would say, almost all points of agreement”, especially on the three major points on eliminating nuclear development.The remarks were greeted by a slump in oil prices and a rise in stock markets.The S…
Washington, March 23 (IANS) The White House on Monday declined to comment on mediation efforts in the Iran crisis, saying sensitive diplomacy would not be discussed publicly even as reports pointed to growing back-channel activity. “These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the United States will not negotiate through the news media,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told IANS when asked about Pakistan’s role in the conflict and peace efforts.Her remarks came amid media reports …
Florida, March 22 (IANS) Ukrainian and US delegations discussed “key issues” and next steps on settling the Ukraine crisis in fresh negotiations held in the US state of Florida, Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, has said.”We continued to discuss key issues and next steps within the negotiation track. Special attention was paid to coordinating approaches for further progress toward practical results,” he was cited as saying in a report by the Interfax-Uk…
Washington, Feb 23 (IANS) US President Donald Trump is weighing military options against Iran as diplomacy enters what officials describe as a last-ditch phase, even as Tehran’s closest partners — China and Russia — appear reluctant to offer direct military backing in any conflict with the United States.According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Iran has sought for years to build closer military ties with Beijing and Moscow. But its powerful friends are “proving reluctant to step …
Cairo, Feb 23 (IANS) The United States and Iran have decided to continue negotiations, even as their starkly different visions of a nuclear deal and a significant US military buildup highlight the fragility of the process and the ongoing risk of confrontation.Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi said on Sunday that the next round of US-Iran talks will take place on Thursday in Geneva.”Pleased to confirm US-Iran negotiations are now set for Geneva this Thursday, with …
Washington, Feb 19 (IANS) US President Donald Trump will convene the inaugural Board of Peace meeting, during which member states will announce over $5 billion in investment for Gaza reconstruction and related security measures. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is also set to attend the inaugural Board of Peace meeting on Thursday, with delegations from over 40 nations, including India.Convened by President Donald Trump, the administration has positioned the Board of Peace as a central…
Tehran, Feb 16 (IANS) Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has launched the main stage of a “combined, intense and targetted” military exercise in the Strait of Hormuz. The drill, dubbed the ‘Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz’ involves the IRGC’s naval forces and is being conducted under the supervision, control and field monitoring of IRGC’s Chief Commander Mohammad Pakpour, read a statement published Monday on the IRGC’s official news outlet Sepah News.Among the main objectives of…
Washington, Feb 16 (IANS) US President Donald Trump said he would support Israeli strikes on Iran’s ballistic missile program if negotiations between Washington and Tehran fail, US media reported.Trump made the remarks when he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago in Florida in December, according to a CBS News report, citing two sources familiar with the matter.US military and intelligence officials have also discussed how Washington could assist Israel in potential o…