The diplomatic clock is ticking, and Donald Trump sounds confident it will stop in time.
Donald Trump © Mena Today
The diplomatic clock is ticking, and Donald Trump sounds confident it will stop in time.
The US President declared Wednesday that the conflict with Iran was "very close to over", urging the world to brace for what he described as "an amazing two days ahead". Speaking in separate interviews with ABC News and Fox Business Network, Trump struck a decidedly optimistic tone, suggesting he did not expect it would be necessary to extend a two-week ceasefire set to expire next week.
"I think they want to make a deal very badly", Trump said, adding: "I think it's close to over, yeah."
Behind the scenes, intense diplomatic activity is underway. Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir - who mediated the last round of talks - arrived in Tehran in a bid to narrow the gap between the two sides.
The previous round of talks held in Pakistan ended Sunday without a breakthrough, making the current diplomatic push all the more critical.
Trump's buoyant optimism stands in contrast to the complexity of the issues at stake.
Years of deep mistrust, unresolved nuclear questions and competing regional interests do not dissolve overnight. But with a ceasefire expiring and both sides apparently weighing their options, the next 48 hours could prove decisive.
The world, as Trump put it, is watching.
Kuwaiti authorities have detained U.S.-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin who has not been seen for six weeks, a media watchdog said, during a wider crackdown by Gulf nations on people for filming or posting footage during the Iran war.
Hezbollah said on Wednesday the Lebanese government's decision to hold talks with Israel was "a national sin" that would widen divisions in Lebanon, underlining deep polarisation in the country as the Iran-backed group wages war with Israel.
In a historic diplomatic breakthrough, Israel and Lebanon have agreed to enter into direct peace negotiations, following a landmark meeting between their ambassadors in Washington.
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