President Donald Trump has announced “some good news on Iran”, raising the possibility of an end to the months-long conflict.
The US President also said that without a peace deal, the ceasefire in the conflict cannot be extended till Wednesday. The announcement comes after Iran’s decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz following a separate ceasefire deal brokered by the US between Lebanon and Israel.
Speaking aboard Air Force One late Friday, Trump declined to specify what the good news was.
“It looks like things are going very well in the Middle East with Iran,” he told reporters as he returned to Washington from Phoenix, Arizona. “We have been talking over the weekend. I hope things will go well. Many of these things have been discussed and agreed upon.”
But he warned that the ceasefire with Iran could be in jeopardy if the country does not agree to reach a peace deal before it expires on Wednesday, adding that “the US blockade of Iranian ports will continue.”
On the other hand, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Iran’s delegation to the recent talks with the US in Islamabad, said on Twitter, “Trump made seven claims in an hour, all seven of which were false.”
Ghalibaf said, “They did not win the war, and they certainly will not get anywhere in negotiations with these liars.”
On the Strait of Hormuz, he said, “If the (US) blockade continues, the strait will not remain open.”
Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Minister had announced the opening of the Strait of Hormuz for commercial ships. Despite these developments, uncertainty remains in the geopolitical scenario as tracking data shows that around 20 ships moved from the Gulf towards the Strait of Hormuz on Friday evening, but very few ships passed through without any concrete reason.
A cruise ship stuck in Dubai, Celestial Discovery, however crossed the strait and was heading towards Oman on Saturday morning, according to maritime traffic vessel tracking data.
