US President Donald Trump has reportedly responded to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after the latter warned a US strike on Iran would spark a regional war. While claiming the US has the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there, Trump on Sunday local time expressed hope to make a deal and in case of no-deal, he also threated to find out whether or not Khamenei was right over the remarks, NBC News reported.
Trump claimed that “of course he would say that…But we have the biggest, most powerful ships in the world over there, very close, couple of days, and hopefully we’ll make a deal.” “We don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he was right,” he continued.
According to the Iran’s Press TV, Khamenei has warned that any war initiated by the US against Iran would turn into a regional war, when addressing a large gathering at the Imam Khomeini Hussainiya on Saturday.
The NBC News reportd that Khamenei’s remarks on a potential war come as Trump has weighed military action against Iran in response to the country’s nuclear ambitions and the government’s handling of protesters.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday told the CNN that he was “confident” that Iran and the US can achieve a deal on Tehran’s nuclear program.
The Iranian diplomat also said that “unfortunately, we have lost our trust (in) the US as a negotiating partner,” but the exchange of messages through friendly countries in the region was facilitating “fruitful” talks with the US, per CNN.
The US media also noticed a similar optimism on the US side over the weekend, as Trump, aboard Air Force One on Saturday, told reporters that Iran was “talking to us, seriously talking to us.”
A US carrier strike group has reportedly arrived in the Middle East region by January 26 amid speculations over potential operations against Iran, while the Iranian side said the US warships would not weaken Iran’s defense resolve. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group is now in the Indian Ocean, putting it closer to assist in any potential US operations targeting Iran, reported CNN on the day, citing two sources.
Despite the sharp warnings exchanged between the two sides, the US military buildup in the region and Iran’s firm commitment to retaliate, there still appears to be space left open for negotiations and a possible agreement, Ding Long, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times.
The US is clearly employing a strategy of applying intense pressure to drive negotiations and force changes. The ongoing tug-of-war between the US and Iran is increasingly taking the form of information warfare and public opinion battles. Even after negotiations have begun, this confrontational dynamic is expected to persist for a considerable period. Nevertheless, this does not prevent both sides from eventually reaching a mutually acceptable compromise, Ding noted.
Trump isn’t entirely convinced about the risk-reward calculus or the full consequences of launching military action against Iran. That’s why he’s keeping negotiations on the table as a fallback during this moment of hesitation — the best outcome for him would be to pressure Iran into concessions, Qin Tian, a deputy director of the Institute of Middle East Studies of China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times.
Talks between the two sides, including possible behind-the-scenes contacts, are certainly feasible, but actually succeeding in reaching a deal will be very difficult. Over the foreseeable future, the danger of US military strikes remains a real concern that shouldn’t be dismissed, Qin warned.
China opposes the use or threat of force in international relations, opposes imposing one’s own will on others, and opposes a return of the world to the “law of the jungle,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on January 15, Xinhua News Agency reported.
China has consistently advocated adherence to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, said Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, during a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
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