"Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, will travel to Ankara for talks aimed at preventing a US attack, as Turkish diplomats seek to convince Tehran it must offer concessions over its nuclear programme if it is to avert a potentially devastating conflict. Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, proposed a video conference between Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian the kind of high-wire diplomacy that may appeal to the US leader, but would be anathema to circumspect Iranian diplomats."
"No formal direct talks have been held between the two countries for a decade. Araghchi's visit on Friday comes against the backdrop of urgent international diplomacy and increasingly aggressive threats from both sides. Senior defence and intelligence officials from Israel and Saudi Arabia were also in Washington for talks on Iran this week, Axios reported on Thursday."
"Trump has warned Iran that time is running out, vowing that any US attack would be violent and far more extensive than the US intervention in Venezuela. Iran has remained defiant, with army chief Maj Gen Amir Hatami announcing that since the 12-day war in June, Iran has revised tactics and built 1,000 sea and land-based drones. He said the drones and Iran's extensive ballistic missile arsenal could provide a crushing response to any attack. Iran's greatest military weakness is its air defences. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran was preparing itself for a military confrontation, while at the same time making use of diplomatic channels. The Kremlin urged both sides to recognise there was still time for diplomacy, but Turkey appears to have taken up the mantle of the main mediator, as an increasingly apprehensive Middle East eyes a looming conflict that could easily spread across the region."
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Ankara for talks to try to prevent a US attack. Turkish diplomats are pressing Tehran to offer concessions on its nuclear programme to avert a potentially devastating conflict. Turkey's president has proposed a Trump–Pezeshkian video conference, a move likely to appeal to the US but unacceptable to cautious Iranian diplomats. No formal direct talks between the US and Iran have taken place in a decade. The diplomatic push unfolds amid aggressive threats, regional consultations involving Israel and Saudi Arabia, Iran's expanded drone and missile capabilities, and warnings that any US strike could provoke a broad response.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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