Iranian and US representatives may soon meet again for peace talks, before a two-week ceasefire called by Donald Trump expires, sources have claimed. Two Pakistani officials told AP News that Iran-US talks could take place in Islamabad in the coming days, depending on whether the sides request a different location.
One said the first talks were part of an ongoing diplomatic process rather than a one-off effort after they ended without an agreement. Asian stocks rose and oil prices fell on Tuesday on renewed hope for a ceasefire amid reports of a possible second round of talks.
Benchmark US crude fell 1.7% to $97.37 a barrel, while international benchmark Brent crude fell 0.9% to $98.49 a barrel.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 was up 2.3% at 57,804.81. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 2.7% to 5,968.06. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.5% to 25,783.41, while the Shanghai Composite Index climbed 0.5% to 4,007.93.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also put forward a four-point plan for peace in the Middle East during a meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
He called for regional peaceful coexistence and respect for national sovereignty while coordinating development and security, China’s state news agency Xinhua reported.
Xi said: “Defend the authority of international law. It cannot be ‘use it when it suits us, discard it when it no longer suits us’ and we cannot allow the world to return to the law of the jungle.”
This comes as the US President warned China against supporting Iran, saying it would face “big problems” if it supplies arms to the country.
After it was claimed that Beijing intended to deliver air defense systems, Mr Trump responded: “If China does that, China is going to have big problems, OK?”
Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned that the move risked exacerbating the crisis and disrupting global oil supplies. A Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman said: “Chinese ships continue to navigate the waters of the Strait of Hormuz.
“We have trade and energy agreements with Iran, which we will respect and abide by. We expect others not to interfere in our affairs. Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz and has opened it to us.”
