Iran and US ‘close’ to deal

Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidy, Foreign Minister, received a telephone call from Dr Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on Saturday.
They exchanged views on the latest developments in the region, the progress of ongoing diplomatic efforts and talks and the efforts being made to adopt political approaches to address the points of contention in a balanced and fair manner. They stressed the importance of resuming free and safe maritime navigation.
Meanwhile, senior US and Iranian officials said they could be close to a breakthrough in talks to strike a draft deal to end the war in the Middle East.
Iran said gaps remain between the parties, and the dispute over its nuclear programme would not be part of the initial talks.
But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed optimism, just as Pakistan's army chief, a key go-between between the United States and Iran, left Tehran after two days of talks with senior Iranian leaders.
'There is a chance that, whether it's later today, tomorrow, in a couple days, we may have something to say,' Rubio told reporters on Saturday during a visit to New Delhi, adding that he hoped that he would soon be able to announce 'good news'.
The Iranian foreign ministry also said that a draft deal might at last be close.
'Our intention was first to draft a memorandum of understanding, a kind of framework agreement composed of 14 clauses,' foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on state television.
He noted what he called 'a trend towards rapprochement' but said, 'it does not necessarily mean that we and the United States will reach an agreement on the important issues.'
Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had warned earlier that Washington would face a tough response if it resumes hostilities, after US media reports raised the prospect of new strikes and Iranian officials accused the US side of making 'excessive demands'.
'Our armed forces have rebuilt themselves during the ceasefire period in such a way that if Trump commits another act of folly and restarts the war, it will certainly be more crushing and bitter for the United States than on the first day of the war,' Ghalibaf posted on social media.
He issued the warning after meeting in Tehran with Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, a leading figure in international efforts to negotiate an end to the war, which broke out after the United States and Israel attacked the Islamic republic on February 28.
Weeks of negotiations - including historic face-to-face talks hosted by Islamabad - have still not produced a permanent resolution or restored full access to the Strait of Hormuz, choking vast quantities of global oil supply. The impasse has left ordinary Iranians in limbo. SEE ALSO P6 & 7