‘Progress’ made towards US-Iran talks amid tensions

AFP | Paris

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Iran’s top security official said yesterday that progress had been made towards negotiations with the US.

Washington has deployed a naval battle group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier off Iran’s shores, after Trump threatened to intervene in the wake of a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.

The arrival of the flotilla has raised fears of a direct confrontation with Iran, which has warned it would respond with missile strikes on US bases, ships and allies - notably Israel - in the event of an attack.

But Trump has said he believes Iran will prefer to seal a deal over its nuclear and missile programmes rather than face American military action - and Tehran has said it is ready for nuclear talks if its missiles and defence capabilities are not on the agenda.

Hype

“Contrary to the hype of the contrived media war, structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing,” said Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, a day after the Kremlin said he held talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Iranian army chief Amir Hatami earlier warned the US and Israel against any attack, saying his forces were “at full defensive and military readiness” to respond.

On Friday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the IRGC would conduct “a two-day livefire naval exercise” in the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit hub for global energy supplies.

In a statement, CENTCOM warned the IRGC against “any unsafe and unprofessional behaviour near US forces”.

It drew criticism from Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

“Operating off our shores, the US military is now attempting to dictate how our Powerful Armed Forces should conduct target practice in their own turf,” he wrote on X.