TEHRAN: US President Donald Trump on Monday voiced optimism at the prospects for a negotiated peace deal with Iran, as the two sides held their fire for a third consecutive day.
Fighting between the longtime foes has been paused since Friday after 13 nights of renewed US strikes on the Islamic republic sparked by a breakdown in diplomacy over Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
But the US leader expressed hope that renewed diplomacy could bring an end to the war that began in late February with a wave of US-Israeli strikes, rattling both the region and the global economy.
“I have a lot of patience… We’ll see what happens,” he said aboard Air Force One. “I think there is a good chance that something could happen.”
Tehran had earlier denied that there were any talks with the US to end the conflict.
“Mediators may convey messages from the American side to us regarding current developments in the region. But at present, we are not engaged in any negotiations with the United States,” said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei.
But Trump insisted during a speech in Michigan that “right now, they’re talking to us about making a deal”.
Aboard Air Force One, the US president had earlier said that if the new efforts failed, “we go back to doing what we were doing” before the pause in fighting.
On that subject, he dismissed concerns that US ammunition stockpiles were running low nearly five months after the war began.
“We have a lot of ammunition. We have a lot of the mid-level stuff too, more than we could ever use no matter what,” he said.
‘Mafia gang’
Control of the Strait of Hormuz remains a hurdle to any peaceful resolution, and Iran insists on managing the crucial conduit for oil and gas.
Its powerful Revolutionary Guards have been stopping vessels trying to transit the trade route in recent days, including six that state television on Monday said had sailed outside Iran’s designated route.
Tehran says it has held talks in recent days with Oman, which also borders the strait, on “common principles and operational mechanisms” to ensure the safe passage of shipping.
In June, Muscat and Tehran said they would discuss imposing service fees, a move Washington opposes.
But Oman also angered Iran after saying vessels could transit the Hormuz strait via its waters, with Tehran responding by attacking ships.
Baqaei, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, on Monday said the United States was not involved in the recent discussions with Oman.
Instead he criticised Washington, saying its conduct in recent years has “resembled that of a mafia gang that adheres to no rules or laws”.
