By SHEIKH SAALIQ and ADAM SCHRECK
NEW DELHI (AP) — Iran ’s foreign minister said a lack of trust is the biggest obstacle in negotiations to end the war with the U.S., saying Friday that Tehran would be open to diplomatic help, particularly from China, to help ease tensions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said contradictory messages have “made us reluctant about the real intentions of Americans.”
“We are in doubt about their seriousness,” he told reporters in New Delhi, adding that negotiations would move forward if Washington was ready for a “fair and balanced deal.”
President Donald Trump earlier this week dismissed Iran’s latest formal proposal as “garbage.” While Iran was said to include some nuclear concessions, Trump has said he wants to remove highly enriched uranium from the country and prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
With talks between Iran and the U.S. at a standstill during the shaky ceasefire, tensions remain high and threaten to tip the Middle East back into open warfare and prolong the worldwide energy crisis sparked by the conflict.
Iran still has a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway where a fifth of the world’s oil passed through before the war, and America is blockading Iranian ports.
Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who finished talks on Friday, agreed the strait needs to be reopened.
China could play a diplomatic role, Iran says
Araghchi said Friday that Iran would welcome diplomatic support from other countries, particularly from China, citing Beijing’s previous role in facilitating the restoration of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
“Chinese have a good intention. So anything that can be done by them to help diplomacy would be welcomed by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said.
Beijing has shown little public interest in U.S. requests to get more involved, even though Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that Xi had in their conversations offered to help.
Pakistan said Thursday it was continuing diplomatic efforts to help ease regional tensions amid ongoing contacts over Iran-related ceasefire proposals. But it declined to disclose details of the discussions or say whether the United States had formally responded.
“The clock on diplomacy has not stopped. The peace process is working,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad.
Iran says uranium is a sticking point
Trump has demanded a major rollback of Iran’s nuclear activities while Iran has said that it has a right to enrich uranium.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who launched the war with Trump on Feb. 28, has also demanded that all of Iran’s highly enriched uranium be removed from the country.
Iran’s foreign minister said Friday that the issue of its enriched uranium stockpile is one of the most difficult subjects in negotiations with the U.S.
Russia has previously offered to take the stockpile if Iran is willing to give it up. Araghchi said Russia’s proposal was not currently under active discussion, but could be revisited if negotiations progress.
“When we come to that stage, obviously we will have more consultations with Russia and see if the Russian offer can help or not. This is not something for the time being,” he said.
Chinese company says its ship was taken into Iranian waters
A Chinese private security company said it lost communication Thursday with a ship it was operating as an offshore work platform — the same day the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported that a ship anchored off the United Arab Emirates coast had been seized.
Sinoguards said it had “been informed through relevant channels” that the vessel Hui Chuan was taken into Iranian waters for documentation and compliance inspection by the authorities.
The company’s emailed statement said there was no indication of any injuries on the ship and that it was cooperating with the request for vessel and crew documentation.
The security company and the U.K. maritime center did not say who was behind the seizure. It happened as a senior Iranian official reiterated his country’s claim of control over the Strait of Hormuz and another said it had a right to seize oil tankers connected to the U.S.
The U.S. seized vessels in the Gulf of Oman last month and on Friday the foreign minister of Pakistan said it had secured the return of 11 Pakistani nationals and 20 Iranian citizens who were aboard those vessels. “All individuals are in good health and high spirits,” said the foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, said.
UAE speeds up construction of oil pipeline
The United Arab Emirates is speeding up the completion of a new pipeline that will allow the Gulf federation to export more oil without routing it through the Strait of Hormuz.
Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, directed state oil company ADNOC to accelerate work on the pipeline during a meeting of the Emirati capital’s executive council, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said Friday.
The state oil company already runs a pipeline designed to carry 1.5 million barrels a day from its oil fields in the west of the country to the port of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman.
The new pipeline is expected to double the company’s export capacity through that port. It will become operational next year, the media office said.
Schreck reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press reporters Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Mae Anderson in New York contributed.