Iran: Trump and Khamenei take steps towards negotiations. Impeachment proceedings against Hegseth
The supreme leader “has called for a way out of the deadlock”. Vance is set to meet with Iranian military leaders in Doha. The House of Representatives is set to vote on the impeachment of the Pentagon chief
Messages are emerging from Donald Trump and Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader – messages that are still uncertain, but which have not been heard in recent months – regarding the possibility of launching negotiations to bring an end to the war in Iran.
Last Sunday, Trump told CNN that further military strikes “are highly unlikely” if Tehran makes progress towards an agreement on its nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. And during an interview on the CBS programme “60 Minutes”, he went on to say that he “did not want to see the conflict escalate further”. However, both Trump and the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, subsequently made it clear that ‘the military option’ remains on the table, confirming the possibility that the White House may launch – as announced on several occasions – a new wave of air strikes against the regime in Tehran.
Yesterday, however, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced Khamenei’s willingness to engage. ‘The Supreme Leader has ordered us to put an end to this stalemate, in which there is neither war nor peace. We can negotiate with dignity and resolve the issue with dignity,’ said Pezeshkian. However, he did not back down from his threat: “Logic dictates that, if we can safeguard our rights through dialogue, we must avoid getting drawn into a war. But,” he said, “we will never submit to force or intimidation.”
The United States and Iran have been negotiating for weeks away from the spotlight, through the mediation of countries such as Turkey and Qatar. After more than eight months, the conflict shows no sign of abating: between the air strikes and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, imposed by the Pasdaran and US forces on Iranian ports. Added to this are the Houthi attacks aimed at gaining control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, on the Red Sea route.
Trump – who yesterday welcomed the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, to the White House – is insisting that Iran’s nuclear programme be dismantled, even though the priority is the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers. The Ayatollahs’ regime has set out seven preconditions for the negotiations, including an end to military attacks on all fronts.
