After calling off Iran strike, Trump says talks will begin on Monday

A day after holding off strikes, US President Donald Trump said negotiations with Iran would begin on Monday. He, however, declined to set a deadline for reaching an agreement. He claimed he had called off an imminent military strike to give diplomacy a chance to secure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and address Tehran's nuclear programme.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday while returning to Washington from New Jersey, Trump said talks would start Monday afternoon but did not disclose where they would be held or who would participate.

Asked whether Tehran faced a deadline, Trump declined to provide one. "Would I rather make a deal? I'm not looking to kill people because people die, a lot of people die, and we don't want that," Trump was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Must Watch: "Biggest Since WWII": Trump Holds Off Massive Attack On Iran To Pursue Hormuz & Nuclear Deal

DIPLOMATIC PUSH

Late on Saturday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had agreed to cancel a planned attack after being told "the Immediate, Complete and Total" reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and "an end to Iran's nuclear threat" could be achieved through a deal, while insisting Tehran must "rapidly make a DEAL."

Trump has repeatedly threatened to escalate the conflict with Iran since the war began in late February alongside Israel. Despite several rounds of diplomacy, no comprehensive agreement has yet been reached.

The latest comments marked another turn in a conflict that has spread beyond Iran and Israel to the Gulf, the Red Sea and even Egypt.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi held separate phone calls with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir on Sunday to discuss diplomatic efforts, according to Iranian state media.

IRNA reported that negotiations between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz were in their final stages, citing Araqchi.

However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the negotiations were focused on agreeing a new route through the strait and had "no link to the Strait of Hormuz being opened or closed. That is a separate discussion."

Last month, Iran publicly rejected an Omani proposal, backed by Gulf states, to manage the strait. Reuters had previously reported that the plan involved collecting voluntary transit fees from vessels using the waterway.

ISRAEL VOWS TO KEEP UP PRESSURE

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said Israel and the US remained in close security and intelligence coordination. "With or without an agreement, and regardless of any external commitments, if Iran attempts to renew its nuclear program or advance its ballistic missile industries, we will be there. We will take action, and we will strike," he said.

Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Washington last Tuesday to discuss ways of curbing Iran's nuclear programme, including diplomacy, economic pressure and military action, according to an Israeli official. 

(With inputs from Reuters)