Iranian and US delegates may soon meet again for peace talks, before the two-week ceasefire called by Donald Trump expires, sources have claimed. Two Pakistani officials told AP News that Iran-US talks could take place in Islamabad in the coming days, depending on whether the parties request a different location.
One added that the first talks were part of an ongoing diplomatic process rather than a one-off effort after they ended without an agreement. The renewed hope for a ceasefire amid reports of a possible second round of talks caused Asian stocks to increase and the price of oil to fall on Tuesday.
Benchmark US crude fell 1.7% to $97.37 a barrel, while Brent crude, the international standard, was down 0.9% to $98.49 per barrel.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 was up 2.3% to 57,804.81. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 2.7% to 5,968.06. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.5% to 25,783.41, while the Shanghai Composite index climbed 0.5% to 4,007.93.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also put forward a four-point plan for peace in the Middle East during a meeting with Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
He called for regional peaceful coexistence and respect for national sovereignty while coordinating development and security, Chinese official news agency Xinhua reported.
Xi added: “Safeguard the authority of the international rule of law. It can’t be ‘use it when it suits us, discard it when it doesn’t,’ and we cannot allow the world to revert to the law of the jungle.”
This comes after the US President warned China against supporting Iran, saying it will face “big problems” if it supplies the country with arms.
After it was claimed that Beijing intends to deliver air defence systems, Mr Trump responded: “If China does that, China is gonna have big problems, ok?”
Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned that the move risks escalating the crisis and disrupting global oil supply. A spokesperson for the Chinese Defence Ministry added: “Chinese ships continue to move in and out of the waters of the Strait of Hormuz.
“We have trade and energy agreements with Iran, which we will respect and abide by. We expect others not to interfere in our affairs. Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, and has opened it to us.”
