*Trump Hopeful Of Fresh Negotiations, With Indications Of Renewed War Looming
*’No More US Talks Till Washington Shows Flexibility’
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh today said his country will not hand over its enriched uranium to the US, rejecting claims made by President Donald Trump yesterday.
Trump had stated in an interview with Reuters that Washington will work with Tehran to recover Iran’s enriched uranium to bring back to the US even as he hinted of possible new talks this weekend.
His words: “We’re going to get it together. We’re going to go in with Iran, at a nice leisurely pace, and go down and start excavating with big machinery… We’ll bring it back to the United States.”
Dismissing the position in an interview with the Associated Press on the margins of a diplomacy forum in Turkey, Khatibzadeh said: “I can tell you that no enriched material is going to be shipped to the United States.
“This is a non-starter and I can assure you that while we are ready to address any concerns that we do have, we’re not going to accept things that are nonstarters.”
Khatibzadeh said there have been many exchanges of messages between the sides but accused the US of holding firm on demands Iran deems to be excessive.
“We are still not there yet to move on to an actual meeting because there are issues that the Americans have not yet abandoned their maximalist position,” Khatibzadeh said. Iran was seeking the finalization of a “framework agreement” before moving to an in-person meeting, he added.
He said Iran is not yet ready to hold a new round of face-to-face talks with US officials, fuelling fears of renewed war between the countries.
Ships Attacked In Hormuz Strait
Meanwhile, two Indian-flagged vessels carrying crude oil were attacked today while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
Tehran’s ambassador to New Delhi, Mohammad Fathali, was called in for a meeting with India’s Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, during which Misri conveyed India’s deep concern at the shooting incident involving both ships.
Misri urged the ambassador to convey India’s views to the authorities in Iran and resume at the earliest the process of facilitating India-bound ships across the Strait.
The Iranian military continued to tighten its grip on the Strait, attacking several commercial vessels today s it declared the waterway was being “strictly controlled” by Iran.
Shipping companies were left scrambling a day after Iran’s Foreign Minister Abass Araghchi said the Strait was fully open to commercial traffic, an announcement that was welcomed by Trump.
*PHOTO CAPTION: A section of the Strait… Friday.
