Trump calls Iran’s current leaders ‘very reasonable’ before Pakistan-hosted talks

President Donald Trump struck an upbeat note on the standoff with Iran, saying the two sides have been in contact “directly and indirectly” and describing Tehran’s new leadership as “very reasonable”, even as additional US troops arrived in the region and Iranian officials vowed they would not submit to humiliation.

The comments, made last night, followed word from Pakistan — acting as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington — that it was preparing to host “meaningful talks” in the coming days in an effort to bring the month-long Iran war to an end.

“I think we’ll make a deal with them, I’m pretty sure, but it’s possible we won’t,” Mr Trump told reporters yesterday evening while travelling aboard Air Force One to Washington.

Mr Trump also said he believed the US had effectively already achieved regime change in Tehran after strikes killed the country’s supreme leader and other senior officials, though he twice said their successors appeared “reasonable”.

The conflict has rippled across the Middle East, leaving thousands dead, triggering the worst disruption yet to energy supplies and battering the global economy.

As Israel kept up its offensive against Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the UN Force in Lebanon said one peacekeeper had been killed and another critically wounded after a projectile struck a UNIFIL position.

UNIFIL said it did not know where the projectile came from and was investigating.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said regional foreign ministers, meeting yesterday, discussed ways to secure an early end to the war as well as the prospect of US-Iran talks in Islamabad.

“Pakistan will be honoured to host and facilitate meaningful talks between the two sides in coming days, for a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the ongoing conflict,” he said. It remained unclear whether Washington and Tehran had agreed to take part.

A view of missiles launched by Iran in the skies over Beersheba in southern Israel

Earlier, Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, accused the US of sending messages about possible negotiations while simultaneously preparing for a ground invasion. If American troops were deployed, Tehran was ready to respond, he said.

“As long as the Americans seek Iran’s surrender, our response is that we will never accept humiliation,” he said in a message to the nation.

The US Department of Defense has sent thousands of troops to the Middle East, giving Mr Trump the option of launching a ground offensive.

An Israeli official said there was no plan to ease attacks on Iran ahead of any possible talks between Washington and Tehran, and that Israel would continue striking what it called military targets.

Israeli strikes

Israel’s military said it carried out more than 140 air strikes across central and western Iran, including Tehran, in the 24 hours to yesterday evening, targeting ballistic missile launch sites and storage facilities among other locations.

Iranian state media said the strikes hit Mehrabad airport and a petrochemical plant in the northern city of Tabriz.

In southern Israel, a chemical plant near Beersheba was hit by either a missile or falling missile debris as Israel tried to repel multiple Iranian salvos, prompting officials to warn the public to stay away because of “hazardous materials”.

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Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — the route for 20% of global oil and gas shipments — has driven oil prices sharply higher and spread economic strain worldwide.

Stocks fell in Asia early this morning as investors braced for a prolonged Gulf conflict that has already put oil on course for a record monthly rise, fuelling inflation fears and raising the risk of recession across much of the world. Japan’s Nikkei index fell 4.7%.

More US troops arrive

Several hundred special operations personnel have arrived in the region, the New York Times reported yesterday, citing two military officials.

That followed the arrival on Friday of thousands of US Marines aboard an amphibious assault ship, the first of two contingents, according to the US military.

Reuters has reported that the Pentagon has been weighing military options that could include ground forces, although multiple news outlets say Mr Trump has not approved any such plans.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Trump said he wanted to “take the oil in Iran” and suggested he could seize the export hub of Kharg Island. Taking control of Kharg would require ground troops.

The island handles 90% of Iran’s oil exports, and seizing it would give the United States the power to severely disrupt Iran’s energy trade, piling enormous pressure on Tehran’s economy.

Most Americans oppose the war and any military escalation, and a deeper crisis — with the risk of becoming protracted — would likely add to pressure on Mr Trump’s already low approval ratings ahead of November’s midterm elections for Congress.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis entered the conflict on Saturday with their first attacks on Israel, raising the prospect that they could target and block another vital shipping lane, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Israeli authorities said yesterday they had intercepted two drones launched from Yemen.