No deal in sight if Iran is not allowed to enrich uranium, Araghchi says

Esmaeil Baghaei in a statement on Saturday praised the two countries’ leaders in halting the conflict as a responsible and prudent move and expressed hope that the situation between India and Pakistan would return to normal as soon as possible.

He also emphasized "the importance of both countries seizing this opportunity to ensure a reduction in tensions and the sustainability of peace in the region."

Following a tense day of escalating conflict that risked spiraling out of control, India and Pakistan unexpectedly reached an agreement on an immediate ceasefire, putting an end to the most intense clashes in decades between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan reported that India had launched missile attacks on several of its military bases, prompting Pakistan to retaliate with strikes on Indian bases.

The pause in hostilities was first announced by US President Donald Trump, who shared on social media that the agreement followed a night of American-led mediation efforts.

The panel of Middle East specialists said the surprise deal mediated by Oman and announced by President Donald Trump highlights the US leader's maverick stances and Tehran's flexibility as it tries to clinch a deal to avoid war with Washington.

Iranian and US negotiators are due to meet in Muscat for a fourth round of talks on Sunday after Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff rejected enrichment by Iran and for the first time mooted ending the talks if Tehran does not budge.

"Trump is totally unpredictable. Nobody knows what's going to happen with him the next day. This is something that is coming across all over the region," said Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence official and current Mideast analyst.

Shock ideas like taking ownership of Gaza and the sudden end of American attacks on the Houthis keep friend and foe alike off balance, he added, and provide a moving target that may scramble any independent plans they have of their own.

"I don't know whether to even to call it policy but basically steps or measures that ... because they are so flexible, vague and unpredictable, create a dynamic that in a convoluted way could be sometimes constructively contributing to stability."

At the same time, according to Yemeni-American policy analyst Fatima Abo Alasrar, the Yemen truce likely signaled the influence of their Iranian backers over their armed proxies in the explosive region.

"It's an amazing strategy by Iran regime's officials to throw in something to show good faith and that they're serious, but also it shows power," said Abo Alasrar, a senior policy analyst at the Washington Center for Yemeni Studies.

"When you're able to stop your proxy... it shows how much power Tehran has in the region. This demonstrates to the US president, look at us, we can do this - we can turn this region upside down if we want to."

Wait and See

The truce between the theocratic guerrilla group and the populist president may prove fragile, and any breakdown between Tehran and Washington could inflame it anew.

"They are talking about nuclear agreement and a nuclear deal with Iran and that therefore Iran will make concessions, etc. And the Houthis maybe will be part of it," said Zineb Riboua, a research fellow at the Hudson Institute.

"It's more of a let's wait and see situation, precisely because a lot of these things are unpredictable."

Not just Washington's Houthi enemies but its Israeli allies seem not to be able to discern Trump's next move.

Israel pounded Yemen's main airport and several power plants the morning before Trump's truce announcement, escalating its military campaign just as their American backers ended theirs.

"This does suggest at least a certain amount of friction or a certain amount of uncoordination between the United States and Israel, at least when it comes to the policy towards the Houthis," said Gregory Brew, senior Iran analyst at Eurasia Group.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan during a visit to the kingdom, Iranian state media reported.

Earlier on Saturday, the Iranian daily Farhikhtegan reported that Araghchi’s trip included delivering a response to a letter from Saudi King Salman, citing informed sources.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Saturday that Tehran’s delegation to the fourth round of indirect talks with the United States, scheduled for Sunday in Muscat, will include “the necessary experts and specialists.”

“I can only speak about our own delegation,” Baghaei told reporters, declining to comment on US participation.

His remarks came after a CNN report said the US technical team would not take part in this round of negotiations.

A senior official in the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader warned on Saturday that failure to defend the country’s leadership could lead to national collapse, citing Libya and Syria as cautionary examples.

“If people fail to defend their leader, the enemy’s kick will awaken them from sleep,” said Ali Saeedi, head of the Supreme Leader’s ideological-political office, according to state media.

He said divine support depends on active resistance. “Worship at home is not enough. One must step into the arena and fight falsehood,” he said.

He added that Iran faces determined enemies. “Two opposing wills now stand face to face — one from the front of truth, the other from enemies who will fight to delay it by even a single day.”

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