Tehran has sent a senior delegation to Qatar for indirect talks on a possible peace deal with Washington amid rising tensions following a U.S. air strike on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz.
The high-profile team, led by Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, arrived in Doha on Monday in a surprise visit.
The delegation includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati.
In the absence of official details about the visit’s agenda, the composition of the delegation suggested that security, diplomatic and economic issues would be discussed, including the release of Iran’s frozen assets, reportedly estimated at between $6 billion and $12 billion.
Lifting the U.S. blockade on Iran’s southern ports and the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, is also expected to top the agenda as a major sticking point in ongoing peace negotiations.
Last Saturday, a senior Qatari delegation visited Tehran while Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, was in the Iranian capital to negotiate the terms of an interim peace agreement between Iran and the U.S.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran welcomed Qatar’s renewed mediation efforts to broker a peace deal between Tehran and Washington, adding that Pakistan remained the main channel for mediated talks.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement on Tuesday that it had shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone and intercepted an RQ-4 Global Hawk drone, as well as an F-35 fighter jet.
According to local media quoting official sources, a U.S. air strike on Iran’s Larak Island, north of the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway, late on Monday left at least three people dead.
The IRGC also warned against violations of the ceasefire by the U.S. Army, according to DefaPress, a website covering military news.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned what it described as ceasefire violations by the United States over the past 48 hours, stressing: “Iran will not leave any evil act unanswered and will not hesitate in defending the Iranian nation.”
“These aggressive acts committed simultaneously with the ongoing diplomatic process mediated by Pakistan, once again exposed the U.S. ruling body’s callousness and lack of commitment to the Iranian nation, the people of the region, and the international community,” a ministry statement said.
“It showed that the principled stance of the Iranian nation, in all three arenas of the (military) field, the street, and diplomacy which is based on deep suspicion of the U.S. regime, is founded on logic and a deep understanding of its nature and vindictive and criminal actions against the Iranian people,” state-run IRNA news agency reported, quoting the statement.
In a separate development, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Mohammad-Bagher Zolghadr reiterated that Iran would not surrender to Israel and the U.S., saying national unity would disappoint its enemies.
“There will be no retreat. More than ever, the country needs unity and cohesion so that the Americans and Zionists will be disappointed in this regard too,” he said in a statement.
It was the top security official’s first public statement since President Masoud Pezeshkian appointed him as Iran’s security chief in March after former SNSC secretary Ali Larijani was killed in Israel-U.S. air raids.
The United States has moved to close a regulatory gap that may have allowed advanced AI chips to reach Chinese-linked firms overseas despite export re...
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held talks with Lebanese President and Israeli Prime Minister on efforts to ease tensions between Israel and...
Donald Trump said he is “in no hurry” to reach a deal with Iran, insisting the U.S. is slowly getting what it wants. He warned military action rem...
Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela has secured a fourth successive election victory for his Labour Party, extending its hold on power, though with ...
Nicaraguan indigenous leader and former lawmaker Brooklyn Rivera has died in state custody at the age of 73, according to local media reports citing h...
The United States has moved to close a regulatory gap that may have allowed advanced AI chips to reach Chinese-linked firms overseas despite export restrictions.
Donald Trump said he is “in no hurry” to reach a deal with Iran, insisting the U.S. is slowly getting what it wants. He warned military action remains an option if talks fail. Meanwhile, U.S. forces said they fired a missile at a vessel trying to breach Washington’s blockade of Iran.
Nicaraguan indigenous leader and former lawmaker Brooklyn Rivera has died in state custody at the age of 73, according to local media reports citing his family.
At least 46 people, including six children, have been killed in a powerful explosion at a building used to store mining explosives in northeastern Myanmar, according to local media reports.
U.S. rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye, performed to a crowd of 118,000 people in Istanbul on Saturday night, marking his first concert in Europe in more than a decade, despite being barred from performing in several countries over past antisemitic remarks.
Iranian-made Yassin missiles were spotted mounted on Armenian Air Force fighter aircraft during Armenia's latest military parade on Thursday (28 May), drawing attention from defence observers and regional analysts.
The Philippines remains under a "severe threat" from China despite recent efforts by Washington and Beijing to ease tensions, Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on Saturday (30 May).
Thai rescuers say five people have been pulled alive from a flooded cave in remote Laos, where seven villagers became trapped after heavy rain cut off access underground.
Russia has recalled its ambassador to Armenia for consultations, citing Yerevan's growing rapprochement with the European Union. The move is seen as the latest sign of deteriorating relations between the longtime allies ahead of Armenia's parliamentary election on 7 June.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held talks with Lebanese President and Israeli Prime Minister on efforts to ease tensions between Israel and Lebanon. According to a U.S. official, Washington has proposed a plan aimed at achieving a gradual de-escalation of hostilities.
Donald Trump said he is “in no hurry” to reach a deal with Iran, insisting the U.S. is slowly getting what it wants. He warned military action remains an option if talks fail. Meanwhile, U.S. forces said they fired a missile at a vessel trying to breach Washington’s blockade of Iran.
On 28 May, the EU's foreign policy chief called for Russian troops to leave Georgia and Moldova. By the end of the same day, both Tbilisi and Moscow had dismissed her. The symmetry tells a story of its own.
Iranian-made Yassin missiles were spotted mounted on Armenian Air Force fighter aircraft during Armenia's latest military parade on Thursday (28 May), drawing attention from defence observers and regional analysts.
Russia has recalled its ambassador to Armenia for consultations, citing Yerevan's growing rapprochement with the European Union. The move is seen as the latest sign of deteriorating relations between the longtime allies ahead of Armenia's parliamentary election on 7 June.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment