Washington
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the United States was getting along very well with Iran and that recent meetings in Qatar had gone well on the denuclearisation of Tehran.
“The denuclearisation of Iran is moving along well,” Trump told reporters. “They’ve had very good meetings, and we’ll see.”
The US and Iran held technical talks in the Qatari capital of Doha on Wednesday as they seek to agree on the flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and secure a lasting ceasefire, a source with direct knowledge of the talks and an Iranian official said.
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff met the prime minister of Qatar — a mediator in the talks alongside Pakistan — to lay the groundwork for the negotiations, but would not be attending the discussions themselves, the source with direct knowledge of the talks said.
“We’re getting along very well,” Trump said, adding Iran has “come a long way.”
“I think they’re fine,” the president added.
US-Iran indirect talks in Qatar focus on release of funds, Strait of Hormuz
Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington have been ongoing since Tuesday night in Doha, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Wednesday, adding that discussions were focused on the release of Tehran’s funds and the Strait of Hormuz.
“Indirect negotiations began on Tuesday night. Iran held meetings with Qatari and Pakistani officials, who in turn met with the US side. The indirect talks continued on Wednesday, focusing on Iran’s frozen assets and the Strait of Hormuz,” the official said.
Araghchi warns Israel of powerful response over Katz’s remarks
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi has reacted strongly to a post in which Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was “marked for death.”
“The terms of the Islamabad MoU are crystal clear and public for all to see,” Araghchi said. “POTUS has committed the US to muzzling its pets in Tel Aviv. If they ignore their master, Iran will school them.”
In quotes shared by Israeli media on Monday, Katz described the Iranians as “good merchants” trying to extract concessions in negotiations and said Israel would not allow Iran to produce nuclear weapons.
In response, Araghchi said that “any threat against our People and Leadership will receive an immediate, powerful response.”
