Summary
- US President Donald Trump said on Monday that there is a “good chance” of reaching a deal with Iran, but warned that Washington would resume military operations if negotiations fail, even as Tehran appeared to test the pause in the US campaign with drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq .
- “We’re having good talks… I think there’s a good chance that something could happen, and if it does, good; if it doesn’t, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago.” However, Tehran appeared to quickly test the pause in the US military campaign.
- Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq reported drone attacks on Monday .
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that there is a “good chance” of reaching a deal with Iran, but warned that Washington would resume military operations if negotiations fail, even as Tehran appeared to test the pause in the US campaign with drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq .
“They want to meet, and we are meeting. We’ll see what happens. There is a chance we can make a deal,” Trump told reporters . “Without what we did, they wouldn’t even be talking to us.”
Washington abruptly suspended a two-week campaign of air strikes against Iran on Saturday in the president’s latest strategic U-turn in the five-month-old conflict . “We’re talking right now,” Trump said aboard Air Force One. “We’re having good talks… I think there’s a good chance that something could happen, and if it does, good; if it doesn’t, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago.”
However, Tehran appeared to quickly test the pause in the US military campaign. Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq reported drone attacks on Monday . Saudi Arabia said it shot down drones aimed at petroleum targets, including in the capital Riyadh, and stated that the drones had been launched from Iraq by Iran-backed armed groups, reserving the right to respond .
Separately, Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen said they had targeted the 1,200-km East-West Pipeline carrying oil to Saudi Arabia’s main Red Sea port of Yanbu, in retaliation for what they said were Saudi drone incursions into Yemeni airspace .
Iran has stated it is not seeking to resume peace talks with the US, although it would pause its own attacks for as long as Trump’s self-imposed ceasefire continues . Tehran also said it was still in control of the situation and would not let the US determine the end of the conflict .
The contrasting signals from Washington and Tehran come as Pakistan and Qatar continue their mediation efforts, proposing a joint de-escalation formula urging both sides to return to their pre-July 9 positions as a first step toward resuming stalled talks . The path to a deal remains fraught with challenges as hostilities on the ground persist .
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