US sent message to Iran through mediators as Trump signals he is open to deal, Iranian official says
Iran has received a message from the United States through mediators as a possible precursor to talks between the two warring countries, an Iranian Foreign Ministry official told CBS News on Monday, after President Trump hinted at the possibility of a deal.
An Iranian official said “we received the points from the US through mediators and they are being reviewed.”
Earlier on Monday, Mr. Trump announced on social media that The US and Iran had “excellent and productive talks about a complete and comprehensive solution to our conflicts” in recent days. He later told reporters that the two sides had 15 points of agreement and Iranian officials had expressed their desire for “peace,” predicting: “I think there is a very good chance that we will keep the agreement.”
The president also reversed an announcement issued over the weekend that Iran would reopen The Strait of Hormuz – a key chokepoint oil industry – or facing strikes at its power plants. He said the US military would stop bombing Iran’s energy infrastructure for five days, “depending on the success of ongoing meetings and negotiations.”
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs initially denied that the talks were taking place. But the words of Mr. Trump strengthened the hope that this conflict that lasted 23 days may be close to being resolved. The benchmark for global oil prices, Brent Crude, fell 10% on Monday’s news, while the S&P 500 gained 1.15%.
Iran and the US do not have formal diplomatic relations and have historically communicated indirectly, with other countries in the region acting as intermediaries. Pakistan has sought to position itself as a potential mediator, CBS News was reported early Monday. Oman has also often acted as a mediator between the two countries, most recently holding several rounds of nuclear talks earlier this year.
Mr. Trump told reporters Monday that the U.S. is in contact with “the top person” in Iran, but not the new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. He refused to name the person “because I don’t want him killed.”
The structure of any contract is not clear. The president told reporters on Monday that Iran had “agreed not to have a nuclear weapon,” one of the war goals he set at the start of the conflict, as well as humiliating Iran’s regular military.
Iran has long denied that it is interested in developing a nuclear weapon. But the two sides failed to reach an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program earlier this year, when Mr. Trump wants Iran to stop enriching uranium – a demand that Iran has long rejected.
It is unclear whether Israel will be a party to any US-Iran deal. The US and Israel began striking Iran jointly in late February, but the allies have occasionally clashed over how much to target the country, with Mr.
CBS News has reached out to the White House for comment.
