US President Donald Trump stated that negotiations with Iran, expected to take place through intermediaries, are scheduled to commence on Monday. While talking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump confirmed that the lines of communication were open. The US President said, “We are talking to them [the Iranians] in the form of a negotiation; it begins tomorrow afternoon, and we’ll see how it goes. I’d love to do that. It’ll save a lot of lives, a lot of unnecessary power, to be honest with you. We are ready to go whenever we want. Would I rather make a deal? I’m not looking to kill people, because a lot of people die; we don’t want that. So they asked us, Iran specifically, but the other three, they asked us.”

US President Donald Trump said diplomatic efforts involving Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Iran prompted him to call off what had been planned as a “massive attack” on Friday. He also suggested that an agreement could be reached on the management of the Strait of Hormuz and expressed confidence that a deal on Iran’s denuclearisation would eventually be secured. The unexpected diplomatic shift comes as mediators work to revive negotiations between Washington and Tehran.