Mines likely caused tanker blasts – Iran ready for Gulf talks

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DOHA, May 29, (Agencies): Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Tuesday that his country was ready to engage in dialogue with Gulf Arab countries in order to address escalating tensions in the region.

Araqchi met Qatar Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in Doha, where the two sides “expressed their concern about escalations and problems in the region”, a Qatar Foreign Ministry statement said. Tensions have risen between Iran on one side and the United States and its Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on the other.

Washington has deployed a carrier strike group and bombers and announced plans to deploy 1,500 troops to the Middle East, prompting fears of a conflict. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani signaled on Wednesday that talks with the United States might be possible if Washington lifted sanctions, days after US President Donald Trump said a deal with Tehran on its nuclear programme was conceivable.

Washington withdrew last year from a 2015 international nuclear deal with Tehran, and is ratcheting up sanctions in efforts to shut down Iran’s economy by ending its international sales of crude oil.

Trump said on Monday: “I really believe that Iran would like to make a deal, and I think that’s very smart of them, and I think that’s a possibility to happen.”

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