US says having ‘serious discussions’ with Iran, ignores China-Pak call for immediate cessation of hostilities

Washington: The White House said it was making “serious discussions” with Iran’s new leadership and was confident a deal could be reached soon, even as China and Pakistan called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities” in the Gulf and Middle East.

A senior administration official told IANS that “as President Trump stated, the United States is in serious discussions with the new leaders in Iran and great progress has been made.” The official was responding to a question on the joint statement issued by Pakistan and China on the war with Iran.

The official added that “the President is confident that a deal will be reached soon, and has been clear about the consequences if one is not.”

The White House appeared to have ignored the Pakistan-China joint statement which was issued after talks in Beijing between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

The China-Pakistan statement said both sides reviewed “the situation in the Gulf and Middle East Region” and put forward a coordinated response anchored in de-escalation.

It called for “immediate cessation of hostilities and utmost efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading,” stressing that “humanitarian assistance must be allowed to all war-affected areas.”

The two countries also pushed for early negotiations, saying “dialogue and diplomacy is the only viable option to resolve conflicts,” and urged all parties to commit to “peaceful resolution of disputes, and refraining from the use or the threat of use of force during peace talks.”

A key element of the proposal focused on civilian protection. It said parties must “immediately stop attacks on civilians and nonmilitary targets,” and adhere to international humanitarian law, including safeguarding “important infrastructure, including energy, desalination and power facilities, and peaceful nuclear infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants.”

The statement also highlighted risks to global commerce, calling for protection of maritime routes. It noted that the Strait of Hormuz is “an important global shipping route for goods and energy,” and urged “the early and safe passage of civilian and commercial ships” and restoration of normal transit.

On the diplomatic front, China and Pakistan stressed multilateralism, calling for efforts to “strengthen the primacy of the UN” and support a “comprehensive peace framework” based on international law.

Responding to the joint initiative, the US signalled ongoing backchannel engagement with Tehran but declined to disclose details. The senior administration official told IANS, “we are talking to ‘the right people’ within the regime and they want to make a deal very badly.” The official added that “these are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the United States will not negotiate through the news media.”

IANS