Trump Says "Agreement With Iran Possible by End of April"... Iran Exchanging Messages With U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump. The White House

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As the United States and Iran continue behind-the-scenes contact ahead of the second armistice talks, U.S. President Donald Trump predicted that a peace agreement with Iran could be reached by the end of this month.

According to Sky News UK on the 15th (local time), President Trump said in a phone interview with a Sky News reporter, when asked about the possibility of reaching an agreement with Iran before the state visit of King Charles III to the United States, "It is possible. Very possible," adding, "They (Iran) have been hit quite hard."

King Charles III is scheduled to visit Washington D.C. and New York from April 27 to 30. With the second armistice talks expected to take place this week, President Trump implied that a final agreement may be within reach.

President Trump also revealed that he had exchanged letters with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of their upcoming meeting. President Trump is scheduled to visit China for two days starting May 14.

He explained, "I heard that China was providing weapons to Iran, so I sent a letter, and President Xi replied. I asked President Xi not to do so, and he said in his letter that they were not doing it."

Iran also confirmed that it has been exchanging messages with the United States indirectly. According to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said at a briefing that, "Even after the Iranian delegation returned from Islamabad on the 12th, there have been multiple exchanges of messages with the United States through Pakistan."

He added, "We plan to welcome a high-level Pakistani delegation to Tehran soon," and explained, "Following the Islamabad talks, the Pakistani side will have in-depth discussions on what was discussed with the United States and both sides' detailed views during this visit."

However, Iran drew a line regarding the nuclear negotiations, which are the core issue, emphasizing its principles and stating that the date for the second armistice talks has not yet been set. Spokesperson Baghaei said, "The right to peaceful nuclear use cannot be granted or taken away by external pressure or wartime circumstances," adding, "As a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran is entitled to these legal benefits."

He stated, "There is room for discussion regarding the type and level of uranium enrichment," but also set a precondition that Iran must be able to continue enrichment based on its own needs under any circumstances.

He also said that Iran is reviewing various options to resolve the nuclear issue, including proposals to transfer enriched uranium to Russia.

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