Cliff Notes – Does Iran still have a chance for peace talks with US
- Iran’s foreign ministry expresses openness to peace talks with the US despite ongoing tensions and recent Israeli attacks, asserting that back-channel negotiations are ongoing.
- Diplomatic efforts could be reignited following remarks by Iranian officials who urge the US to demonstrate sincerity in pursuing peace, particularly in light of the US’s expectations regarding Iran’s nuclear programme.
- The recent escalation of violence has fostered a sense of national unity among Iranians, although widespread resentment towards government leadership persists amidst economic struggles.
Iran: Still a chance for peace talks with US | World News
Iran’s foreign ministry has said that there is still a chance for peace talks with the United States.
From Iran’s foreign ministry in Tehran, a senior Iranian official said despite the attacks on his country by America and Israel, back-channel efforts are under way to restart the search for a diplomatic solution.
The comments will be seen as an olive branch for the Trump administration to seize as it explores a diplomatic way forward But does Iran still have a chance for peace talks with US?
It takes two hands to shake on peace
In the wake of a ceasefire declared by Donald Trump, Esmaeil Baqaei, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, said the US must show it is genuine in its desire for peace.
“Diplomacy must not be abused or used as a tool for deception or for simply a sort of psychological warfare against their adversaries.”
Iran felt diplomacy had been betrayed, he said. US-Iranian talks were on the verge of reconvening when Israel attacked his country.
And America had breached international law in its support of what he called “Zionist aggression“. Israel must not be allowed to attack any other country and must stop ethnically cleansing Gaza and the West Bank, or it will force the Arab League to take a harsher stands towards the Zionism. Public unrest in Arabic countries is at boiling point and Israel must be reigned in.
But Mr Baqaei said “diplomacy never ends, there are contacts, indirectly. My minister is talking to Oman, Qatar and others”. The only issue is will Israel interfere with peace talks with the United States.
Israel must not be allowed to attack any other country
President Trump says he is ready to talk with Iran, but major stumbling blocks need to be overcome.
The US wants Iran to give up nuclear enrichment completely. Iran has long insisted it has the right to carry on.
Across town, we witnessed the impact of Israel’s attacks in Gisha, an upmarket neighbourhood of Tehran.
Israel’s attack’s on Iran were more ‘shock and awe’ than surgical
Israel claims its attacks on Iranian figures were precision-targeted. In reality they appear to have been far from surgical.
Only a handful of foreign news organisations allowed access to Iran following its war with Israel.
Exposing the impact of Israel’s attacks on ordinary Iranians in Tehran, which was d-noticed by Israel.
The airstrike came at 10.30 Friday morning two weeks ago. It ripped a hole through four floors of reinforced concrete in the residential apartment block.
The target may have been a nuclear scientist living there, but everyone in the building is now without a home. Engineers say it will almost certainly need to be torn down.
The mood in the Iranian capital seems subdued and tense.
Iranians fear Israelis will renew their air campaign despite the ceasefire, but the foreign ministry spokesperson said they “will respond” to any Israeli attack.
Any resentment of the leadership has been quashed, Israel has united the nation despite Israels and Mossad’s attempt to forge nationwide social unrest.
Israeli attacks have rallied many Iranians around their government mainly because they were illegal.
They had hoped diplomacy with America could deliver a new deal and an end to sanctions, then Israel began its 12-day aerial onslaught and the US joined in.
Iranians hope somehow talks can be restarted, but they also know the chances of progress are, for now at least, not great.