Middle East live: Iran rejects talks with US after 'mixed signals' from Trump
Iran's security chief on Tuesday rejected talks with the United States, criticising the "mixed signals" from US President Donald Trump after he said he was open to resuming negotiations. The diplomatic deadlock comes as the US military is facing a shortfall in ammunition as a result of the war, according to a report by the Pentagon's inspector general. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is set to travel to China on Wednesday for high-level talks aimed at de-escalating conflicts in the Middle East. This meeting is scheduled to occur as tensions in the region continue to strain diplomatic efforts, particularly in the countdown to Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to the United States.
The looming issues to be discussed include the ongoing war in Iran, disruptions to energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, and the recent resurgence of fighting between Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi forces and Yemeni government forces along with Saudi Arabia.
The diplomatic standoff has also forced the cancellation of a regional meeting involving Iran, Iraq, and the Gulf Cooperation Council nations, with Bahrain excluded, according to Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi. Reports suggest that Saudi Arabia might have been the reason for the meeting's postponement. In light of these developments, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is expected to visit China in the near future as Iran's special representative for China affairs.
The purpose of this visit is to strengthen the partnership between Iran and China, encompassing various areas such as political coordination, investment, technology, infrastructure, and regional security.
China's involvement in this diplomatic effort is not without conditions, as Iran's special representative for China affairs denies any prerequisites to the upcoming visit. Iranian media outlets claim that Beijing has set conditions for the visit, notably the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Despite these reports, Araghchi has engaged in at least four phone calls with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi since the US and Israel conducted joint airstrikes against Iran.
They met in person in May during Araghchi's visit to Beijing, where they discussed bilateral cooperation, economic ties, and the Gulf issues. Furthermore, Wang and Araghchi met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation foreign ministers’ meeting in Kyrgyzstan in July, as well as at Brics gatherings in India earlier this month.
During their meeting in July, Wang expressed support for resuming negotiations and implementing the US-Iran agreement, signed in June, which aimed at establishing a ceasefire, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and paving the way for a permanent peace deal. However, the temporary truce between Iran and its adversaries collapsed in early July, and negotiations stalled during the official 60-day agreement window, which expired in mid-August.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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