Who to talk to in Iran? Trump aides weigh options, Axios says
Donald Trump (photo: Getty Images)
The team of US President Donald Trump is trying to find answers to two questions. First, who in Iran is the best point of contact for negotiations, and second, whether a host country for the talks is needed, according to Axios.
Axios writes that Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was the main intermediary in previous negotiations.
However, according to sources, the US president’s advisers view him as a fax machine, someone who is not actually authorized to make deals.
“They're trying to figure out who actually makes decisions in Iran and how to get in touch with them,” US officials said.
Also ongoing are considerations about which country could act as an intermediary in potential negotiations. In the last meetings, it was Oman, but Washington is looking for another country, ideally Qatar. The reason is mutual distrust of the Omanis, while the Qataris, for their part, have shown effectiveness and are trustworthy as mediators in Gaza.
But here another problem arises. Sources of the publication say that Qatar is ready to provide behind‑the‑scenes assistance, but does not want to be the main official mediator.
Peace talks and new tensions
The other day, US President Donald Trump stated that Washington is considering the possibility of winding down military operations against Iran, as the US is close to achieving its goals.
Within a day, the aforementioned Axios article reported that Trump’s team had begun discussions about what peace talks with Iran might look like.
At the same time, tonight Trump stated that the US had erased Iran from the face of the earth, and a while later he issued an ultimatum to the country: open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, otherwise Iranian power plants will be destroyed.
