Saudi defence curate Prince Khalid bin Salman (left) (Image: X) and US President Donald Trump (right) (Image: AP)
US President Donald Trump met Saudi defence curate Prince Khalid bin Salman astatine the White House connected Thursday to sermon de-escalation efforts with Iran, according to Fox News.Prince Khalid, who is the younger member of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, besides held talks with White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.The gathering took spot up of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Monday gathering with Trump astatine the White House.
Focus connected de-escalation and peace:
The gathering is important for Saudi Arabia arsenic it wants to easiness tensions successful the portion aft the caller 12-day warfare betwixt Israel and Iran. Talks besides reportedly covered broader issues of ending the warfare successful Gaza, negotiating the merchandise of remaining hostages and moving toward Middle East peace.The Trump medication wants to propulsion for a historical bid woody betwixt Saudi Arabia and Israel successful the coming months.
Fox quality quoting their sources suggested that the gathering was not lone astir normalizing ties of Saudi Arabia with Israel but besides astir indispensable steps required to scope it.The gathering comes conscionable days aft Trump said different countries person expressed involvement successful joining the Abraham Accords. The caller Middle East struggle dubbed the “12-Day War” saw Israel and the US people Iran’s atomic sites.
Strengthening the Abraham Accords:
The Abraham Accords, signed astatine the White House successful September 2020 during Trump’s archetypal word are a acceptable of agreements that aimed to normalize relations betwixt United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.
US peculiar envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said connected June 25 that expanding the accords is 1 of the president’s “key objectives” and predicted “big announcements” astir caller countries joining soon.Last week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt named Syria arsenic 1 of the nations Trump is anxious to bring into the accords, noting their historical gathering successful Saudi Arabia earlier this twelvemonth during the US President’s sojourn to the Middle East.
Saudi-Iran dialogue:
The Saudi defence curate spoke connected the telephone with Iran’s Chief of the General Staff, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi connected June 29.“We discussed developments successful the portion and the efforts being made to support information and stability,” Bin Salman wrote connected X.
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Witkoff is besides readying to conscionable Iranian overseas curate Abbas Araghchi successful Oslo adjacent week to restart atomic talks, according to Axios.The Iranian overseas ministry said Araghchi spoke connected the telephone Thursday with Norwegian overseas curate Espen Eide to sermon efforts to easiness determination tensions.
Trump connected Iran talks:
Speaking to section media connected Thursday, Trump said Iran wants to initiate talks with the US and “it is clip that they do.” He added that the US does not privation to wounded Iran.“I cognize they privation to conscionable and if it is indispensable I volition bash it,” Trump said.
Iran’s conditions for talks:
In an email interrogation with ANI, Iran’s Ambassador to India, Iraj Elahi, said immoderate negotiations with the US are meaningless unless Washington offers a “credible guarantee” to forestall aboriginal acts of aggression by Israel and the US.“As for negotiations with the United States, considering their betrayal of diplomacy and complicity with the Zionist authorities successful launching amerciable attacks connected Iran, portion a diplomatic process was inactive ongoing, determination volition beryllium nary meaning oregon worth successful immoderate talks unless a credible warrant is provided to forestall the recurrence of specified acts of aggression,” helium said.Elahi was referring to 2 large subject operations past month.
On June 13, Israel launched “Operation Rising Lion,” carrying retired wide airstrikes connected Iranian ungraded that targeted atomic sites astatine Natanz and Fordow and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) bid bases. Several elder IRGC commanders and atomic scientists were reportedly killed.This was followed by US strikes connected June 21–22 nether “Operation Midnight Hammer,” which besides targeted Iranian atomic infrastructure. Iran has powerfully condemned some operations arsenic blatant violations of planetary instrumentality and the UN Charter.