US-Iran peace talks: Trump says Tehran has agreed not to have nuclear weapons; expresses intention to meet Supreme Leader | Today’s news
US President Donald Trump has announced that Iran has agreed not to have a nuclear weapon, adding that he is likely to meet Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei at some point if things “work out”.
Trump made the remarks in an interview on “Pod Force One” on Wednesday, adding, “They’ve already agreed not to have a nuclear weapon,” Reuters reported.
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When asked about Khamenei’s involvement in talks with the US to end hostilities, the US president remarked: “He’s involved, absolutely… I think they have a lot of respect for him.” He went on to say that he had heard that the Iranian leader was not doing too well, but was giving his approval during the negotiations. He also noted that he did not have the “privilege of meeting” Khamenei.
“I’d like to meet him. We probably will at some point depending on how this all plays out,” Trump said.
Trump considers the Iran war a success
The US president said he considers the war in Iran a success because the Islamic Republic’s army has been defeated. The conflict, which began with strikes by the US and Israel on February 28, has upended the global energy market and also proved unpopular with Americans months before congressional elections in November.
“Iran is a great success,” Trump said in the interview. “We’ll see what happens. We’re going for it, we’re working on a deal and it’s going to work out. If it doesn’t happen, that’s okay too. We’re going to do it differently.”
He did not specify what that might mean, but has said in the past that the US would resume strikes.
Read also | US, Iran trade heavy fire in Persian Gulf, test fragile truce
US-Iran tensions escalate as Tehran strikes Kuwait
Trump’s remarks underscoring progress in US-Iran peace talks come as tensions in the Persian Gulf region escalate after an Iranian drone struck a passenger building at Kuwait International Airport’s Terminal 1, killing an Indian national. Several people were reportedly injured when the US military carried out airstrikes near the Strait of Hormuz, with diplomacy to stop the war showing no signs of progress, Reuters reported.
The attacks are the latest test of a shaky truce that has boosted oil prices by more than two percent as the strait remains largely closed more than three months after Washington and Tel Aviv launched strikes on Tehran.
Read also | Indian killed after drone hits Kuwait airport; The embassy expresses its condolences
The Civil Aviation Authority said Kuwait Airways is resuming flights from Terminal 4 after assessing the damage and taking security measures.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic accused Kuwait and Bahrain of allowing the US to use their territory to attack an Iranian tanker and an island as it condemned Washington for the attacks.
“The State Department…condemns the colonialist use of the territory and infrastructure of countries in the region by the United States to advance its aggressive plans against Iran and emphasizes the direct and unquestionable responsibility of the leaders of Kuwait and Bahrain for yesterday’s aggression,” the statement said.
A tense truce between the US and Iran?
The overnight attack came days after the Islamic Republic announced it was suspending peace talks with Washington and cited Israeli attacks in Lebanon. Tehran has previously mentioned an end to the war in Lebanon as one of the key conditions in the proposed memorandum of understanding (MOU).
Read also | Israeli strikes kill eight in Lebanon as tensions escalate in the Middle East
Since the start of the conflict on February 28, the Islamic Republic has repeatedly attacked targets in the Persian Gulf region, where US military bases are located, hitting both civilian and military targets.
Hostilities have occasionally flared since a ceasefire was agreed in early April as Washington pushed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a route that before the war carried about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
