(Photo: ANI)
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is reportedly ready to engage in negotiations with the United States, according to a story published by Arab News that cited Israeli media outlet Yedioth Ahronoth.
Ahrnaooth referenced an exchange between US intermediary Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that was authorised by Iran’s top authorities. Tehran has not held talks with Washington during the last 24 days of the unprovoked US-Israel war against the Islamic Republic of Iran, according to a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, who earlier denied US President Donald Trump’s claims of talks with Iran.
The significant step comes after US President Donald Trump stated on Monday that, despite the turmoil in West Asia, the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial international shipping route, will “open very soon” and hinted that he envisaged the US and Iran managing it together. Trump told reporters in Florida that the strait will “open very soon” if the current talks with Tehran are successful. He went on to say that he and Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s recently chosen Supreme Leader, will “jointly” control the vital global energy and transportation route.
“It’ll be jointly controlled. Me and the Ayatollah, whoever the Ayatollah is, whoever the next Ayatollah is,” the US President added. The Strait of Hormuz is a critical transit route that normally handles 15 million barrels per day of crude oil and 5 million barrels per day of oil products, representing roughly 25 per cent of global seaborne oil trade. However, due to the conflict in the region, the waterway has been considered high-risk for transit, choking the global energy supply. Trump also highlighted that the recent early strikes in the conflict had targeted much of Iran’s senior leadership, saying, “And there’ll also be a very serious form of regime change. There’s automatically a regime change,” and noted that talks over the weekend showed potential to reduce tensions.
Commenting on the individuals involved in negotiations, Trump said, “But we’re dealing with some people that I find to be very reasonable, very solid. The people within know who they are, they’re very respected, and maybe one of them will be exactly what we’re looking for.” Earlier, the US President announced that he had instructed the US Department of War to delay any military action against Iranian power plants and energy sites for five days, citing ongoing diplomatic engagements with Tehran amid escalating tensions in West Asia. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the United States and Iran had held “very good and productive conversations” over the past two days aimed at resolving hostilities in the region.
He went on to say that the “tenor and tone” of the talks which he characterised as “in-depth, detailed, and constructive” were the basis for the decision to halt strikes. Trump added that the talks will go on all week. The significant development coincides with the fourth week of the US-Israeli-Iranian conflict, which is having repercussions outside of West Asia and the Gulf region due to supply bottlenecks and damaged civilian, military, and energy infrastructure.
(With Inputs From ANI)
Tickets for the high-octane Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders clash on March 29, 2026,…
IPL 2026: Aakash Chopra Advises MS Dhoni to Retire Before Playing as Impact Player
IPL 2026: Aakash Chopra advised MS Dhoni to retire before being used as an Impact…
China is expanding large-scale ocean mapping operations across the Pacific, Indian, and Arctic oceans, raising…
