Lack of trust impeding talks to end war with US, says Iran’s top diplomat

Iran’s foreign minister has said a lack of trust is the biggest obstacle in negotiations to end the war with the US, saying that Tehran would be open to diplomatic help, particularly from China, to help ease tensions.

Meanwhile, Israel and Lebanon extended their ceasefire following talks in Washington, US officials said.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said contradictory messages have “made us reluctant about the real intentions of Americans”.

“We are in doubt about their seriousness,” he told reporters in New Delhi, India, adding that negotiations would move forward if Washington was ready for a “fair and balanced deal”.

US President Donald Trump earlier this week dismissed Iran’s latest formal proposal as “garbage”.

While Iran was said to include some nuclear concessions, Mr Trump has said he wants to remove highly enriched uranium from the country and prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.

Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.

With talks between Iran and the US at a standstill during the shaky ceasefire, tensions remain high and threaten to tip the Middle East back into open warfare and prolong the worldwide energy crisis sparked by the conflict.

Iran still has a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway where a fifth of the world’s oil passed through before the war, and America is blockading Iranian ports.

Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who finished talks on Friday, agreed the strait needs to be reopened.

In Washington, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 45-day extension of their ceasefire after two “productive” days of talks, which will be followed by more negotiations June 2-3, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.

A shaky truce between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon had been due to end on Sunday.

“We hope these discussions will advance lasting peace between the two countries, full recognition of each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and establishing genuine security along their shared border,” Mr Pigott said on social media.

Despite the ceasefire, both sides continue to trade strikes.

The Israeli military said on Friday it struck Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon after reporting hostile aircraft alerts and launches from across the border.

Lebanon’s health ministry said nearly 40 people were wounded in Israeli strikes near the coastal city of Tyre.

One strike “levelled” a primary health centre and also damaged the neighbouring Hiram Hospital, wounding six medical staff members, the statement said.

In Washington, the second and final day of talks between Israel and Lebanon were under way on Friday, the US state department said.

While a key objective was extending the tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that is due to end on Sunday, both sides continued to trade strikes.

The Israeli military said on Friday it struck Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon after reporting hostile aircraft alerts and launches from across the border.

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s health ministry said nearly 40 people, including hospital staffers, were wounded in Israeli strikes near the coastal city of Tyre.

Mr Araghchi said on Friday that Iran would welcome diplomatic support from other countries, particularly from China, citing Beijing’s previous role in facilitating the restoration of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

“Chinese have a good intention. So anything that can be done by them to help diplomacy would be welcomed by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said.

Beijing has shown little public interest in US requests to get more involved, even though Mr Trump told Fox News that Mr Xi had in their conversations offered to help.

Pakistan said on Thursday it was continuing diplomatic efforts to help ease regional tensions amid ongoing contacts over Iran-related ceasefire proposals.

But it declined to disclose details of the discussions or say whether the United States had formally responded.

“The clock on diplomacy has not stopped. The peace process is working,” foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad.

Mr Trump has demanded a major rollback of Iran’s nuclear activities while Iran has said that it has a right to enrich uranium.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who launched the war with Mr Trump on February 28, has also demanded that all of Iran’s highly enriched uranium be removed from the country.

Iran’s foreign minister said on Friday that the issue of its enriched uranium stockpile was one of the most difficult subjects in negotiations with the US.

Russia has previously offered to take the stockpile if Iran is willing to give it up.

Mr Araghchi said Russia’s proposal was not under active discussion, but could be revisited if negotiations progress.

“When we come to that stage, obviously we will have more consultations with Russia and see if the Russian offer can help or not. This is not something for the time being,” he said.