United States President Donald Trump has said that he will be involved “indirectly” in the second round of the ongoing high-stakes nuclear talks between Iran and Washington in Geneva.
Trump’s comments on Monday came as Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi travelled to the Swiss city for meetings ahead of the indirect talks with the US, which started on Tuesday.
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Tensions in the Gulf region remain high ahead of the crucial negotiations, with the US deploying a second aircraft carrier to the region and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei warning that any attack on Iran would prompt a regional war.
Trump told reporters on board Air Force One that the discussions on Tuesday were significant.
“I’ll be involved in those talks, indirectly. And they’ll be very important,” he said. “Iran is a very tough negotiator.”
Asked about the prospects for a deal, Trump said Iran had learned the consequences of its tough approach last June, when the US joined in Israel’s 12-day war on Iran and bombed three of its nuclear sites.
The attacks came amid indirect talks between Iran and the US on Tehran’s nuclear programme and resulted in their derailment.
However, Trump suggested Tehran was motivated to negotiate this time. “I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal,” he said.
Despite the US president’s comments about Iran seeking an agreement, the talks face major potential stumbling blocks. Washington has demanded that Tehran forgo uranium enrichment on its soil and has sought to expand the scope of talks to non-nuclear issues, such as Iran’s missile stockpile.
But Tehran, which insists that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, has said it is only willing to discuss curbs on its programme in exchange for sanctions relief. It has said it will not accept zero uranium enrichment and that its missile capabilities are off the table.
‘Fair and equitable deal’
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