Trump confirms peace talks with Iran expected to commence today: 'Not looking to kill people'

In a most significant development, US President Donald Trump stated that negotiations with Iran, expected to commence on Monday. While addressing the reporters on board Air Force One, Trump confirmed that discussion channels were active. He stated that he is talking to them [the Iranians] in the form of a negotiation; it begins on Monday afternoon, and we'll see how it goes. He added that he is not looking to kill people, because a lot of people die; he doesn’t want that.

Amid ongoing conflict in the West Asia, US President Donald Trump on Sunday stated that he decided to hold off on ordering American forces to carry out fresh strikes in Iran at the request of Gulf allies such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

He further claimed that that a plan was there for US forces to carry out another big strike on Sunday. However, he said that he he decided to put the plan off and give diplomacy more time to play out after hearing from key Gulf leaders -- including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- as well as at the request of unnamed Iranian officials.

He stated that he said to the crown prince, 'What would you rather do? Would you rather us do this or not?'" It should be noted that Trump and the Saudi crown prince held talks on Saturday before the US president announced in a social media post that Mideast allies had reached the "perimeters" of a deal to end the five-month-old war.

The US President, who a day earlier said he is "losing faith" in negotiations with Iran and offered the ominous warning that the US military "will be hitting them very hard". However, he on Sunday added that the emerging deal would include a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway where about a fifth of the world's energy flowed before the start of the war, and would resolve US concerns about Iran's nuclear programme.

The development comes at a time as Iran has repeatedly attacked vessels attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz without its authorisation as part of its conflict with the US. Moreover, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei on Sunday stated that the Strait of Hormuz "will in no way return to the status it was before February 28", the day the war started.

In a phone call with Iranian state TV, he added that Iran is discussing shipping through the strait with Oman, on the other side of Hormuz, but that there is no current talk about reopening the crucial waterway. Apart from this, the US President also announced halts to strikes on Iran on several occasions since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, only for things to unravel and fighting to resume again.