Previously, the US President insisted on only direct negotiations with Iran.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
US President Donald Trump may accept Iran’s proposal for indirect nuclear talks — but will also shore up military forces in the region ready to strike if the need arises, according to US officials.
Trump and Iran have been embroiled in a battle of words, with the US President threatening to bomb the Islamic Republic if a nuclear deal is not reached.
Trump’s time frame for a potential deal is two months, although it is not clear when the period began.
Trump’s willingness to accept indirect talks is a departure from his previous insistence on direct negotiations.
According to the plan, Oman will mediate in the talks between Iran and the US.
A US official said, “After the exchange of letters, we are now exploring the next steps to begin conversations and building trust with the Iranians.”
The rhetoric between Trump and Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has intensified recently.
Responding to Trump’s threat, Khamenei said he didn’t think the US would strike, but that they would certainly receive “a heavy blow in return” if they did.
Iran filed a diplomatic protest through the Swiss embassy that the Islamic Republic would “respond decisively and immediately to any threat.”
“The US has 10 bases and 50,000 soldiers in the region … If you live in a glass house, you shouldn’t throw stones,” the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps declared on Iranian television.
Last week, in an interview with the American NBC News network, Trump threatened Tehran that, “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing.”
“It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”
Iran responded with the warning that its missiles are “loaded onto launchers in all underground missile sites and are ready for launch.”
