Washington, June 30:
President Donald Trump said Monday on social media that Iran had requested a meeting with US counterparts, though one of Iran’s top negotiators said no further talks had been scheduled after attacks across the Persian Gulf over the weekend challenged negotiations to end the war.
The US president has tried to preserve an increasingly fragile interim deal as hostilities have mounted in recent days in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil had been shipped before war began.
Monday marked the first time both sides appeared to pause after four days of trading attacks.
Trump said the meeting with Iran would happen on Tuesday in Doha, Qatar. But Kazem Gharibabadi, a senior negotiator for Iran, denied any talks had been scheduled.
The US and Iran agreed to a deal earlier this month that calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of enriched uranium, and waives US-backed sanctions on the country while opening the Strait of Hormuz and giving each side 60 days to hammer out broader agreements.
Oil prices fell sharply after the signing of the interim deal, but if they were to reverse course in a meaningful way it could undermine Trump’s claims to voters ahead of November elections that inflation was easing.
Earlier on Monday, Iran’s president said that $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets would be released by Qatar. Masoud Pezeshkian’s mention of the funds appeared aimed at selling the Iranian public on the interim deal, particularly as its grip on the strait has been tested..
During the war that began February 28, Iran’s attacks and threats stopped cargo ships and tankers from moving through the Strait of Hormuz, creating a global energy crisis.
In recent days, Iran has twice attacked vessels in the strait following efforts to open Oman’s territorial waters to both inbound and outbound traffic from the Persian Gulf.
The attacks drew retaliatory American airstrikes and raised concerns that negotiations to reach a formal end to the war could be disrupted. Iran launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday.
The strait has long been considered an international waterway despite its location in Iran and Oman’s territorial waters.