Saudi, Iranian foreign ministers discuss regional developments
This file photo shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan. PHOTO: ANADOLU
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, discussed the latest regional developments during a phone call on Monday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said.
The discussions also addressed a recent round of talks mediated by Pakistan between Washington and Tehran, the ministry added in a statement. Iran’s state-run news IRNA confirmed the contact, without giving details about its content.
Read More: 'Draft was ready': how US-Iran talks narrowly missed historic deal in Islamabad
The phone call came after the US and Iran held rare direct talks in Islamabad on Saturday aimed at ending their current conflict, which started after the US and Israel launched a joint offensive against Tehran on February 28, prompting Iran to launch retaliatory attacks targeting Israel, Iraq, Jordan, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.
The talks, however, ended early Sunday without any agreement.
🇸🇦📞🇮🇷 | Foreign Minister HH Prince @FaisalbinFarhan receives a phone call from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. pic.twitter.com/6EX1CrvVSf
Iran wants a 'deal', says Trump
US President Donald Trump on Monday said that they were contacted by the right and appropriate people in Iran, and they want to work out a deal.
"We've been called this morning by the right people, the appropriate people, and they want to work a deal," said Trump during a news conference.
However, he reiterated that the United States would not agree to any deal unless Iran abandoned its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
“Iran will never obtain nuclear weapons,” Trump said, adding that previous US administrations had regretted not taking stronger action.
President Trump on negotiations with Iran: "We've been called this morning by the right people, the appropriate people, and they want to work a deal." pic.twitter.com/wFGhnXi2hE
He said no country could “blackmail the world” by attempting to block the Strait of Hormuz amid rising tensions over Iran.
“We can’t let a country blackmail or extort the world. We’re not going to let that happen,” Trump said.
Trump said the United States did not rely on the strategic waterway for its energy needs, adding that it had sufficient oil and gas resources.
“We do not use the Strait of Hormuz and we do not need it. We have our own oil and gas, much more than we need,” he said, adding that oil shipments to the US continued through other routes.
He said the United States had more oil and gas than Saudi Arabia or Russia, and claimed production would double next year, adding that the world — not the US — needed the Strait of Hormuz to remain open.