According to an article in The Wall Street Journal on June 30th, U.S. President Trump has heard a comprehensive combat plan for Iran, but has decided to continue with diplomatic negotiations.
According to U.S. officials familiar with the discussions, in recent days, Trump has had multiple conversations with U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Coats. The focus of these discussions was whether the United States should abandon negotiations and resume a full-scale attack against Iran.
Although no final decision has been made yet, Trump has told his advisors that he believes a new round of full-scale attacks could undermine diplomatic efforts and harm the chances of Washington successfully dismantling Iran’s nuclear program.
On June 17th, the United States and Iran remotely signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war and opening the Strait of Hormuz. Both parties will hold negotiations on nuclear issues and sanctions within 60 days.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump told his assistants that if the negotiations with Tehran exceeded the deadline of August 18th, he felt it was acceptable. The report indicated that this decision provided more time for negotiations to yield results.
Meanwhile, Trump stated that he would favor launching a single strike against Iran when it “violates the memorandum of understanding.”
Trump previously stated that the second round of talks between the United States and Iran would take place in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on June 30. However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghaei said on the 30th that Iran has no plans to hold talks with the United States in the coming days.
But Bagheri added that the Iranian delegation sent to Doha, the capital of Qatar, will meet with Qatari officials to discuss the funds frozen by the US and the ceasefire issue in Lebanon.
Iranian Speaker of Parliament and Chief Negotiator, Galibff, stated that Iran will not engage in further negotiations with the US until the conditions stipulated in the memorandum of understanding are met. He also added that the current meeting is aimed at fulfilling their commitments.
U.S. Presidential Special Envoy Weterkov and President Trump's son-in-law Kushner have arrived in Doha. They met with Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed on June 30 local time.
American Cable News Network (CNN) reported that the United States and Qatar discussed US-Iran talks and developments in the region. However, no high-level meetings have taken place between the US and Iran so far.
