Washington, Nov 9 (AP) US President Donald Trump is set to meet Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House on Monday, according to his official schedule.
The Associated Press has reported that Iran was reviewing proposals presented by chief mediator Qatar aimed at addressing differences with the US about Tehran's nuclear programme. But Iran was seen as unwilling to negotiate with the Trump administration over their atomic activities until Washington agrees to several core conditions that Tehran has been demanding be part of any ceasefire agreement, officials have said.
Those include ending the US blockade on Iran's ports, lifting sanctions, unfreezing its assets, issuing compensation for war damage and ending hostilities throughout the region, including Israeli operations in Lebanon.
While Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was no diplomatic breakthrough at hand, Trump told CNN in a phone interview Sunday that as long as the US sees progress in negotiations with Tehran and they sign a “strong agreement,” it's “highly unlikely it's going to be necessary” to resume strikes.
Trump said, however, that the US had identified infrastructure targets, including 38 bridges, that it would strike if military action resumes.
The US military, meanwhile, still has carried out limited strikes on Iran, including against its air defences, at least twice over the past week. It also fired on and disabled a commercial ship Saturday that the US says was trying to breach its naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Rubio acknowledged that the US will take defensive actions if needed.
“If there's a clear and present threat to shipping or to our forces in the region, we have a right to defend ourselves,” Rubio said. (AP) SCY
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