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U.S. President Donald Trump said it would be an "honor" to meet face-to-face with Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, but no progress followed after Iran dismissed the possibility. The U.S. pressured Oman, which is cooperating with Iran, by warning of bombing, but Oman is pushing back.
On the 4th (local time), Trump met with reporters at an event explaining policies to support the coal industry and said he "would consider it an honor" to meet with Mojtaba. Trump said "there is a possibility of a meeting if a deal is reached," and showed an unusual stance, noting that Mojtaba is well regarded in some quarters.
The U.S. and Iran have maintained an unstable ceasefire for weeks without reaching an agreement. Trump, who needs to differentiate himself from the previous administration on the Iran issue, could gain ground simply by arranging face-to-face negotiations with Mojtaba, who rarely appears in public.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi indirectly expressed his refusal in an interview with the Lebanese outlet Al Mayadeen Network, saying "we must think realistically."
The U.S. is pressuring Oman, which faces Iran across the Strait of Hormuz, to push for the resumption of negotiations. Trump threatened to bomb Oman after reports emerged that it had held talks with Iran on managing passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Iran continue their exchanges. Iran said it fired warning shots at a U.S. destroyer with missiles and a new attack drone, and that it had attacked the U.S. military's "terror fleet" and forced it to retreat from the Persian Gulf, but U.S. Central Command dismissed the claim as "false."
Oman, which had volunteered to mediate between the U.S. and Iran, did not accept the U.S. demand this time. According to the British daily The Guardian, Oman rebutted the U.S. side, saying it had "discussed measures for a Strait of Hormuz management system within the bounds of international law."
While negotiations are dragging on for these reasons, oil prices have remained below $100 per barrel as China's crude imports fell by 4 million to 5 million barrels per day. According to global investment bank Morgan Stanley, crude arriving in China was halved from 13 million barrels per day last year to 7.5 million barrels over the past month. The market analyzed that this is because China is using crude inventories it stockpiled during last year's low-price period, the Financial Times (FT) reported.
Meanwhile, according to Al Arabiya, Iran notified Pakistan that it is prepared to transfer part of its uranium stockpile to a third country. On the other hand, Fars News Agency, the official media of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), flatly denied this, saying there was no such agreement.
