After nixing Iran proposal, Trump tells Axios he expects talks this week
One day after he rejected an Iranian proposal to end the war, President Trump told Axios in a phone interview on Sunday that he expects U.S. negotiators to engage in more talks with the country this week. Why it matters: Qatar and other regional mediators are trying to revive negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, but the two sides are far apart on the key issues. While Iran wants to focus any…
President Donald Trump, after dismissing an Iranian proposal to end the ongoing conflict, indicated in a recent interview with Axios that he anticipates further discussions with Iranian officials this week. The Gulf nation and the United States are currently at odds over crucial issues. Iran is keen on addressing the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. naval blockade, whereas the Trump administration is pushing for nuclear concessions from Iran.
Two sources familiar with the matter affirmed Trump's assertion about more talks occurring this week, hinting at a potential round of indirect dialogue as early as Monday. However, it remains uncertain whether the existing disparities can be reconciled. Trump expressed his skepticism, stating, "They overplayed their hand," and added, "I am always thinking about it" when asked about potential resumption of strikes against Iran.
Numerous oil exports are currently being facilitated through the Strait of Hormuz by the U.S. military. Trump claimed that over 20 million barrels of oil transited through the strait since the war commenced, citing Friday night's export of 22 million barrels. A U.S. defense official confirmed the figure, stating, "Over 20 million barrels have been exported through the strait."
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner engaged in an additional set of indirect negotiations with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the UN General Assembly in New York last Tuesday. Qatari officials facilitated the communication between the two sides. Araghchi presented Iran's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and restarting nuclear talks, which included lifting the naval blockade, removing sanctions on oil sales, and reinstating a regional ceasefire.
In response, Trump rejected the Iranian proposal on Saturday. However, Qatar's mediators are still actively attempting to broker a deal through shuttle diplomacy. On Thursday, the Qatari prime minister met with the Iranian president and discussed the potential deal with the Trump administration. Subsequently, senior Qatari officials met with Witkoff and briefed him.
A regional source familiar with the indirect negotiations stated that both parties reviewed a compromise proposal discussed by Qatari mediators. The next steps involve Qatari mediators separately engaging with Araghchi and Witkoff as early as Monday.
Written by urgent.news from Axios's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
