Iran’s President Pezeshkian orders nuclear talks with US as Trump hopeful of deal

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the start of nuclear talks with the United States, local media said on Monday, after US leader Donald Trump said he was hopeful of a deal to avert military action against the Islamic Republic.Following the Iranian authorities’ deadly response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, Trump has threatened military action and ordered the dispatch of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East.Trump has maintained he is hopeful of making a deal and Tehran has also insisted it wants diplomacy, while vowing an unbridled response to any aggression.“President Pezeshkian has ordered the opening of talks with the United States” on Iran’s nuclear programme, the Fars News Agency reported on Monday, citing an unnamed government source. The report was also carried by the government newspaper and the reformist daily Shargh.US news site Axios cited two unnamed sources saying Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was expected to meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff on Friday in Istanbul to discuss a possible deal on the nuclear file.Trump had warned “time is running out” for Iran to reach a deal on its nuclear programme, which the West believes is aimed at making an atomic bomb, a claim Tehran has repeatedly denied.