Saed News: Sanae Takaichi, the Prime Minister of Japan, said in a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that Tehran must demonstrate “maximum flexibility” to take advantage of the opportunity to reach an agreement with Washington.
According to SAEDNEWS, Takaichi said on Monday after the call with reporters that she also strongly urged the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to ensure free and safe navigation for ships from Asia and other countries.
She did not provide further details about Pezeshkian’s response but said that the two leaders committed to maintaining closer communication.
These remarks come as the United States has so far attacked Iran twice in the middle of negotiations and, during recent talks, has also made excessive and unreasonable demands that have hindered the achievement of an agreement. Washington has also threatened to resume attacks if no understanding is reached with Tehran.
U.S. officials said that Donald Trump, after a meeting with his advisers on Friday, made changes to the proposed agreement with Iran and sent it to Tehran, extending negotiations for another week.
CNN reported on Sunday that the details of Trump’s changes have not yet been disclosed, but U.S. officials said the president has insisted on a tougher tone regarding Iran’s nuclear commitments and Tehran’s promise to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been closed since the beginning of the war in late February.
Trump has also expressed concern over financial issues that may be part of a deal with Iran, cautioning against comparisons with the “cash payments” given to Tehran under Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement. He has described the JCPOA as weak and has repeatedly mocked it.
The latest round of proposed changes comes a week after Trump said the deal was “largely finalized” and announced that an end to the war was imminent.
Since then, U.S. officials have reported progress toward a deal that would end hostilities, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and begin more detailed negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.
However, even after Trump said he would make a “final decision” in Friday’s meeting and outlined some conditions on social media, the two-hour meeting ended without a definitive conclusion.
While Trump claimed in his message that Washington would obtain and then destroy Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile, Iran has consistently emphasized that it is not discussing details of its nuclear program in the current negotiations.
Trump also claimed that there is no discussion of a cash exchange as part of the agreement, a condition Iran says must be included in any deal.
How these disagreements will be resolved remains unclear as bargaining over the text of the agreement continues.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, said on Sunday that no agreement with the United States will be approved unless Tehran’s “rights” are guaranteed.
