U.S. President Donald Trump stated that “very friendly negotiations” are currently taking place between Washington and Tehran during the temporary suspension of military operations, expressing confidence that there is a genuine opportunity to bring the conflict to an end.
However, Trump warned that the United States would resume “strong military action” if the talks fail to produce results. While Washington maintains that direct negotiations are underway, Iranian authorities deny holding face-to-face talks with the United States, insisting that all communication is taking place exclusively through intermediaries, according to The Independent.
Meanwhile, tensions have also escalated between Iran and Ukraine. Tehran has threatened retaliation against Kyiv after accusing Ukraine of carrying out a missile strike on a tanker vessel in the Caspian Sea.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that the reported attack on a commercial vessel “cannot go unanswered” during separate phone conversations with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Saturday that Ukrainian forces had struck a Russian warship as well as vessels allegedly used to transport Iran-linked military cargo across the Caspian Sea.
Tehran claims that an Iranian commercial vessel was also hit during the operation, resulting in the death of one sailor. Iranian authorities described the incident as an act of aggression and accused Ukraine of attempting to further escalate the war between Russia and Ukraine.
