US strikes made Iran more willing to negotiate: Rubio
\n RIYADH\/WASHINGTON
\nSaudi Arabia\u2019s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and US President Donald Trump held a call aimed at reducing regional tensions, the kingdom\u2019s official SPA press agency reported Sunday. \u201cHis Royal Highness emphasised the necessity of prioritising dialogue to reduce tensions and the importance of exerting all possible efforts to achieve a truce that paves the way for diplomatic solutions,\u201d SPA reported.
\nHe said de-escalation efforts should prevent a slide into a wider conflict with consequences for regional and international security. Trump announced he had decided to hold off on renewed attacks on Iran, claiming Mideast allies had reached the parameters of a deal to end the five-month old war.
\nThe emerging deal \u201cwould include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran\u2019s nuclear threat,\u201d Trump wrote in a Saturday evening social media post. \u201cBased on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL,\u201d Trump said.
\n\u201cThe Country of Israel joins me in this commitment,\u201d he added. Iran did not offer any immediate public reaction to the announcement. Trump\u2019s announcement marked another turn in the conflict a day after he had suggested the US was close to resuming heavy military strikes to force Tehran to the negotiating table.
\nThe US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, starting a war that Trump said was aimed at destroying Tehran\u2019s missile capabilities, preventing it from obtaining a nuclear weapon and ending its support for allied armed groups. But the stated goals and timelines for the conflict have repeatedly shifted, and an earlier mid-June deal to stop the fighting crumbled within weeks.
\nIran has repeatedly attacked vessels attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz without its authorization as part of its ongoing conflict with the US Elsewhere in the region US embassies in capitals across the Middle East had warned their citizens on Saturday to beware of \u201cunforeseen escalation\u201d in the regional conflict and urged them to be ready to leave.
\nIran and the US resumed exchanges of fire last month after a days-long lull in fighting, although there were no reported strikes between Friday and Sunday. On Wednesday, a drone struck a US-owned gas vessel moored in an Egyptian port, causing a fire. Egypt is investigating but has not yet accused any group of launching the attack.
\nMeanwhile, an \u201cunknown projectile\u201d struck a tanker off the coast of Oman, a British maritime agency said on Saturday. Iran has effectively maintained control over navigation through Hormuz since the outbreak of the war on February 28, requiring vessels to obtain permission and pay transit fees before using the waterway. Maritime trade tracking firm Kpler said on Friday that traffic through the Hormuz strait has dropped \u201csharply.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
US strikes made Iran more willing to negotiate: Rubio RIYADH\/WASHINGTON Saudi Arabia\u2019s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and US President Donald Trump held a call aimed at reducing regional tensions, the kingdom\u2019s official SPA press agency reported Sunday. \u201cHis Royal Highness emphasised the necessity of prioritising dialogue to reduce tensions and the importance of exerting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":559791,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-559809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n