Talks with Iran continuing at rapid pace: Trump

Washington, Jun 1 (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Monday said talks were continuing with Iran at a rapid pace, as fresh strikes by Tehran appeared to hit the fragile ceasefir.

Talks with Iran continuing at rapid pace: Trump

Washington, Jun 1 (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Monday said talks were continuing with Iran at a rapid pace, as fresh strikes by Tehran appeared to hit the fragile ceasefire.

“Talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

The nominal ceasefire between Iran and the US has been repeatedly tested with such back-and-forth attacks, even as officials from both countries try to negotiate an end to the war.

It’s not clear how close they are to a deal and there is always the risk that an attack could derail those talks.

Trump also wrote on Truth Social that he had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and representatives from Hezbollah. Trump said that no troops would go to Beirut.

“I had a very productive call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, of Israel, and there will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back,” he wrote.

“Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop — That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel,” Trump said.

Earlier, Trump told NBC News he had not been informed of the decision to suspend negotiations ahead of time but that “I think it’s fine if they’re done talking.” “It’s an appropriate thing to say, because they’re better negotiators than they are fighters,” he said in a brief phone call with NBC News.

“But they haven’t informed us of that. It doesn’t mean we’re going to go and start dropping bombs all over there,” Trump said.

The US military and Iran exchanged strikes over the weekend and into Monday, threatening the nearly two-month-old truce agreed to by the warring sides.

Despite the truce, Israel has been pressing ahead with a military offensive in Lebanon, with its forces marking their deepest incursion into the country in 26 years over the weekend.

On Monday, Netanyahu ordered attacks on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, signalling further escalation. Trump’s phone call to Netanyahu came soon after that. PTI SKU GSP GSP

(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)