Tehran: Netanyahu's adventure cost the United States $100 billion
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said what he described as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "adventure" has directly cost the United States about $100 billion so far.
Araqchi stressed that this figure is equivalent to "four times what is officially announced", and added in an attempt to turn American public opinion against the US president that the indirect costs borne by American taxpayers are "far exceed".
Araqchi's remarks came at a time when Iran's Foreign Ministry announced that it had discussed the latest regional developments during a phone call with the European Union's foreign policy chief, amid rising tensions in the region.
Bezshkian: Washington and Tel Aviv attacked Iran during previous negotiations
Iranian President Masoud Bazeshkian warned that his country could be subjected to new attacks from the United States and Israel during any future negotiations, noting that Tehran had "been subjected to two attacks" during previous negotiations.
In a phone call with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Bezshakian said that Iran places the resolution of disputes through dialogue and diplomacy at the top of its priorities, but stressed that "mistrust towards the United States" has become complete inside Iran because of these attacks.
Lukashenko expressed concern over the security and economic repercussions of rising tensions in the Middle East, stressing that any negotiations "cannot succeed without building mutual trust."
Axios: Trump refused to trade the opening of the Strait of Hormuz for postponing nuclear negotiations
US President Donald Trump has rejected an Iranian proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz and lift the naval blockade on Iranian ports, in exchange for postponing negotiations on the nuclear program, Axios reported.
Trump said the U.S. would continue the naval blockade until an agreement was reached that addressed what he described as Washington's "concerns about Iran's nuclear program," and claimed that the latest Iranian proposal, which is based on opening the strait first and postponing the nuclear file, is "unacceptable" for his administration.
Trump added, according to Axios, that Tehran "wants to reach an agreement and lift the blockade," but refuses to do so because "he does not want Iran to have a nuclear weapon." He also considered the blockade of Iranian ports "more effective than bombing", claiming that the blockade imposes a great strain on Iran's oil reserves and causes daily economic losses.
38 ships return due to blockade
In a related context, Pakistani sources familiar with the matter told Anadolu that Islamabad is working through "back channels" to formulate new proposals to reduce tensions between the United States and Iran. According to the sources, Tehran insists on the need to address the issue of the Strait of Hormuz first, while Washington wants an agreement that includes both the nuclear and navigational files, and despite Trump's announced rejection, the sources said that "his advisers are still studying the Iranian proposal."
On Monday evening, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that 38 ships had been forced to return due to the naval blockade imposed by Washington on Iranian ports since April 13, considering that the blockade is applied "neutrally" to all ships heading to and from the Iranian coast.
On April 13, Trump announced the start of a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz after the failure of the first round of negotiations in Pakistan.