Iranian media on Sunday confirmed that a senior Pakistani minister has arrived in Tehran to facilitate the next round of US-Iran talks after US President Donald Trump issued fresh threats against the country. Reports claimed that the US was preparing to put boots on the ground within a week for an extended operation to retrieve nuclear material.
Though President Trump has said that Iran has an interest in ending the deadlock with an agreement, particularly on the nuclear programme.
In a fresh interview that aired on Saturday, he said, “I have no idea. If they don’t, they’re going to have a very bad time. They have an interest in reaching an agreement.”
According to reports, Trump is likely to decide in the coming hours whether or not to resume strikes against Iran, as all attempts to end the conflict through talks have so far failed to yield positive results.
Tensions in West Asia have remained high since Israel and the United States launched military operations against Iran’s nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan on February 28.
While a fragile ceasefire has been in effect since April 8 through Pakistani mediation, talks in Islamabad have failed to produce a lasting agreement.
Trump is trying to end the conflict with Iran on his own terms, which particularly include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran handing over its enriched nuclear material to a third country — demands that Tehran has rejected.
Irrespective of the positions of the two sides, Pakistan is making fresh attempts to mediate further talks in a bid to help both countries find a possible way to end the conflict and ensure lasting peace in the Strait of Hormuz.
So far, all attempts to convince the Iranian side have failed, with the next few hours becoming critical for regional peace, as everything depends on the US President’s decision.
The US has assembled one of the largest naval armadas in the Persian Gulf and near the Strait of Hormuz.
It has also stationed nearly 9,000 Special Forces from the 82nd Airborne Division for a possible land invasion through Bahrain.
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