US President Donald Trump on Saturday said discussions with Iran were going well amid protests, claiming Iran “wants to make a deal very badly" with the US.
“We had very, very good talks today having to do with Russia-Ukraine… We likewise had very good talks on Iran. Iran looks like it wants to make a deal very badly… We broke 50,000 on the Dow. Most people thought that was not possible to do so quickly," Trump said.
However, a Wall Street Journal report, citing Iranian state media, said Tehran maintained its refusal to end enrichment of nuclear fuel during Friday’s talks between senior US and Iranian officials. Both sides, though, signalled a willingness to continue pursuing a diplomatic solution that could avert a potential American strike.
According to Iranian state media, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his US counterparts that Tehran would not agree to end enrichment or move it offshore, rejecting a key US demand.
The Iranian Minister also threatened to retaliate by attacking US territory in Middle East, if America dares to attack Iran.
Araghchi said, “If the United States launches an attack against us, we do not have the capability to attack its territory, so we would target American bases in the region. This would draw the entire region into war. We do not attack neighbouring countries; we target American bases. There is a big difference between the two."
Indirect talks between Iran and the US on the future of Iran’s nuclear programme ended on Friday with a broad agreement to continue a diplomatic path. Statements from Iran and the Omani hosts indicated that further talks could take place in the coming days.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the eight hours of meetings as a “good start" held in a positive atmosphere. He said the continuation of talks would depend on consultations in Washington and Tehran and stressed that any dialogue required an end to threats.
Earlier, Trump described the discussions as “very good" and said another meeting would be held early next week. He also warned, “If they don’t make a deal, the consequences are very steep."
