By Jana Choukeir and Humeyra Pamuk
DUBAI/WASHINGTON, May 21 (Reuters) – Iran said on Thursday it was reviewing Washington’s latest position on ending the war after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he was prepared to wait a few days to “get the right answers” from Tehran but warned of renewed attacks if it did not agree to a deal.
“We have received U.S. views and are reviewing them,” Iranian state-run agency Nour News quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.
Pakistan, which hosted peace talks last month and is acting as the conduit for messages between the two sides, continues to mediate between Tehran and Washington, he added, with several rounds of communication having taken place. Pakistan’s interior minister was in Tehran on Wednesday.
Six weeks since a fragile ceasefire came into force, talks to end the war have shown little progress, while soaring oil prices have raised concern over inflation and the impact on the global economy. Trump is also under pressure at home ahead of midterm elections in November, with his approval rating dropping close to its lowest level since he returned to the White House on the surge in fuel prices.
“Believe me, if we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews. Asked how long he would wait, Trump said, “It could be a few days, but it could go very quickly.”
Trump reiterated his determination not to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. “We’re in the final stages of Iran. We’ll see what happens. Either have a deal or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty, but hopefully that won’t happen,” Trump told reporters earlier in the day. “Ideally, I’d like to see few people killed, as opposed to a lot. We can do it either way.”
Earlier, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned against renewed attacks. “If aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will extend beyond the region this time,” it said in a statement.
Iran submitted its latest offer to the U.S. this week. Tehran’s descriptions suggest it largely repeats terms Trump previously rejected, including demands for control of the Strait of Hormuz, compensation for war damage, lifting of sanctions, release of frozen assets and the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
CHINESE TANKERS CROSS STRAIT
The Strait of Hormuz, which carried a fifth of oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the war, has been all but closed since the war began in the most serious disruption to global energy supplies in history.
On Wednesday, Iran released a map showing a “controlled maritime zone” at the strait and said transit would require authorisation from an authority set up to control the area. It says it aims to reopen the strait to friendly countries that abide by its terms. That could potentially include fees for access, which Washington says would be unacceptable.
Two Chinese supertankers carrying a total of around 4 million barrels of oil exited the strait on Wednesday, while a South Korean tanker with 2 million barrels of crude loaded in Kuwait was also crossing the strait in cooperation with Iran.
Shipping monitor Lloyd’s List said at least 54 ships had transited the strait last week, about double the previous week. Iran said 26 ships had crossed in the past 24 hours, still only a fraction of the 125 to 140 daily passages before the war.
U.S.-Israeli bombing killed thousands of people in Iran before the ceasefire. Israel has also killed thousands more and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes in Lebanon, which it invaded in pursuit of the Iran-backed Hezbollah armed group. Iranian strikes on Israel and neighbouring Gulf states have killed dozens of people.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said their war aims were to curb Iran’s support for regional militias, dismantle its nuclear programme, destroy its missile capabilities and make it easier for Iranians to topple their rulers.
But Iran has so far retained its stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, and its ability to threaten neighbours with missiles, drones and proxy militias. Its clerical rulers, who put down a mass uprising at the start of the year, have faced no sign of organised opposition since the war began.
(Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Kate Mayberry; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
Comments