White House Spokesperson: Negotiations with Iran on Second Round of Talks Underway

United States – The White House announced on Wednesday that it is currently discussing a second round of negotiations with Iran and expressed optimism about the possibility of reaching an agreement. This follows Tehran's threat to block Red Sea shipping in response to U.S. maritime blockade of its ports.

Iran reiterated its willingness to continue talks, as the international community hopes to extend the ceasefire agreement that took effect on April 8 and bring an end to the war destabilizing the global economy. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated that both sides are discussing the resumption of negotiations in Islamabad, "but no formal announcement has been made yet."

She added, "However, we remain optimistic about the prospect of reaching an agreement." Following the failure of the first round of talks held Sunday in Islamabad by Pakistani mediators, efforts are still ongoing. On Wednesday, influential Pakistani Army Chief General Asim Munir met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Bagha said that "multiple messages have been exchanged through Pakistan over the past three days."

Yet he reaffirmed a key Iranian demand: "The right to civilian nuclear energy cannot be taken away under pressure or war," and emphasized that discussions between the two sides are limited to "the level and type of uranium enrichment." Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu asserted that Israel and the United States share "complete alignment" on Iran policy, particularly stressing "Iran giving up its domestic uranium enrichment capability." Trump said the day before that the war was "about to end." A senior U.S. official denied on Wednesday that Iran had agreed to extend the ceasefire agreement.

Iran continues to block the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington has imposed a blockade on all ships entering or leaving Iranian ports since Monday.

The U.S. military announced on Wednesday that it had prevented nine vessels from departing Iranian ports. "The U.S. military has fully blocked Iran's maritime trade," declared U.S. forces commander in the region, Brad Cooper, emphasizing that Iran’s economy relies on maritime trade for approximately 90%. Iran’s Armed Forces Commander General countered that if the U.S. "creates security risks for Iranian merchant ships and oil tankers," it would constitute the "opening act" of violating the ceasefire agreement.

He also added that Iran will prohibit "any import or export activities in the Persian Gulf, Oman Sea, or Red Sea," though he did not specify the form the Red Sea blockade would take. Just weeks before a crucial visit to Beijing, Trump claimed he had convinced Chinese authorities of the rationality of his strategy.

On his "Truth Social" platform, he wrote: "China is very happy that I permanently open the Strait of Hormuz," and claimed Beijing has "agreed not to supply weapons to Iran." China’s Foreign Minister, during a phone call with Iran’s foreign minister, stated Beijing supports "maintaining momentum for peaceful negotiations."

Finance ministers from 11 countries, including the UK, Japan, and Australia, called for resolving the conflict through negotiation, signaling their sustained concern over the crisis and highlighting how it threatens global energy security, supply chains, and economic and financial stability.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1862580447674377/

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