BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 18. US President Donald Trump has instructed the American negotiating team to hold off on further talks with Iran until Tehran is “ready to make a deal”, according to a US official.
The official told Al Jazeera that Washington had been engaged in what they described as “positive talks” with Iran before Trump decided to pause the negotiating process.
According to the official, the US president made the decision to wait until the Iranian side demonstrates readiness to reach an agreement.
The comments come amid uncertainty over the status of diplomatic contacts between Washington and Tehran and the prospects for renewed negotiations.
The US official also rejected suggestions that recent statements from the Trump administration reflected contradictory positions on negotiations with Iran.
“There is no conflict” within the US administration’s position regarding talks with Tehran, the official said.
The remarks suggest that Washington is not ruling out renewed diplomacy but is making the resumption of negotiations conditional on what it considers Iran’s willingness to reach an agreement.
