Trump: If Iran wants to negotiate, I'm ready
The US president said Iran's economy has been weakened by sanctions and the Islamic Republic is looking to make a deal. He added that if Iran wants to talk, he is also ready. At the same time, Brian Hook announced the continuation of "maximum pressure" on Tehran.
On Thursday, May 30, Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that US sanctions have caused economic damage and weakened Iran, and that Tehran is looking to make a deal.
A day before Trump's remarks, the Islamic Republic's leader declared that negotiations with the United States would yield nothing but harm. On Wednesday evening, Khamenei called negotiations a U.S. tactic to complete the pressure strategy on Iran and stressed that the Islamic Republic would absolutely not enter into negotiations with the United States. He said that "the honorable and fundamental issues of the revolution" cannot be the subject of negotiations.
Brian Hook, head of the US State Department's Iran Task Force, also told reporters that the United States would respond with a military strike if its interests were threatened by Iran.
Hook added that US actions in the Persian Gulf have been deterrent and have led to a reduction in the Iranian regime's high-risk behaviors.
He said Washington would continue to exert “maximum pressure” on the Iranian regime to change Tehran’s contradictory policies. A US State Department spokesman had previously said that the maximum pressure campaign had worked on Iran and would continue until Iran returned to the negotiating table for a new agreement.
The US military has sent an aircraft carrier and several B-52 bombers to the region amid tensions with Iran to send clear signals in response to Iranian threats. At the same time as Hook's remarks, White House National Security Adviser John Bolton also announced that the US's prompt response and practical intervention prevented Iranian threats. Bolton said the United States is not pursuing a policy of regime change in Iran.
Brian Hook, in response to the question of whether China and India can continue to import oil from Iran, said: "There will no longer be any exemptions or exceptions for any country in importing oil from Iran." Hook added that any country that violates the Iran sanctions will itself be subject to sanctions.
Emergency meetings of Arab leaders
The remarks by Trump, Bolton, and Hook came ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers and senior officials from Arab and Islamic countries in Mecca and Jeddah. The meetings are aimed at examining the current tensions and developments in the region and how to deal with “Iranian interference.”
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has called on Islamic countries to confront Iran's recent attacks with all their might. Ibrahim al-Assaf said: "The sabotage of four ships in the UAE's Fujairah port and the drone attack by the Iranian-backed Houthis on Saudi oil facilities require serious measures against terrorist operations and the movements of extremist groups."
Al-Assaf added that the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League must stand against these measures with all their might.
News agencies write that Riyadh's goal in these meetings is to encourage participants to push Iran into isolation.
Tehran has denied any involvement in the attacks.
Source: DW
