Trump leaning toward resuming Iran war, officials tell Israel's Channel 12

Pakistan allowed Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields, potentially shielding them from American airstrikes, while serving as a diplomatic conduit between Tehran and Washington, CBS News reported, citing unnamed US officials.

Iran sent multiple aircraft to Pakistan’s Nur Khan Air Base, including an Iranian Air Force RC-130 reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering aircraft, days after President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran in early April, the report adding, citing the officials.

A senior Pakistani official rejected the claim, with CBS News quoting the official as saying: “Nur Khan base is right in the heart of (the) city, a large fleet of aircrafts parked there can’t be hidden from [the] public eye.”

Iran also sent civilian aircraft to Afghanistan, though it was not clear if military aircraft were among them, the report said.

CBS News quoted an Afghan civil aviation officer as saying one Mahan Air civilian aircraft had remained in Afghanistan, while Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied the presence of any Iranian aircraft in the country.

A US Navy Ohio-class nuclear-armed submarine arrived in Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory, on Sunday, the US Navy said in a rare announcement, after US President Donald Trump rejected Iran's proposal.

“The port visit demonstrates U.S. capability, flexibility, and continuing commitment to its NATO allies,” US Sixth Fleet Public Affairs said in a statement on Monday.

“Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines are undetectable launch platforms for submarine-launched ballistic missiles, providing the US with its most survivable leg of the nuclear triad,” it added.

Iran is prepared to downblend its highly enriched uranium stockpile to 3.7% and 20% levels but has refused to transfer the material outside the country, Al Jazeera reported, citing an Iranian source.

The source said Washington had demanded access to Iran’s 60%-enriched uranium and pushed for a 20-year halt to enrichment, which Tehran rejected. The source also said Iran was prepared to continue enrichment under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision.

The source added Washington rejected a proposal to pay fines to Iran in exchange for war losses.

The international affairs adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said US President Donald Trump should not present the ceasefire with Tehran as a victory during his upcoming trip to Beijing.

“Mr. Trump, never think that by exploiting our restraint today, you will enter Beijing triumphantly. First learn the ‘ABC of the new geopolitical order of West Asia,’” Ali Akbar Velayati said in apparent reference to Trump’s expected visit to China for talks with President Xi Jinping.

“We defeated you on the ‘battlefield,’ so never think you will be the winner of diplomacy,” Velayati added.

US-Iran talks are unlikely to make significant progress before President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week, CNN reported, citing a regional source close to the negotiations.

The source said movement in the talks would “depend on the results of President Trump’s visit to Beijing.”

The source said Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was “very likely” to attend the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in Delhi on Thursday and Friday, the same days Trump is in Beijing.

Araghchi’s presence at the BRICS meeting “is important,” CNN quoted the source as saying, adding that the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Egypt may also attend.

The report said Egypt and Saudi Arabia are among the countries facilitating backchannel dialogue between the United States and Iran, mediated by Pakistan.

“China is going to be an important player in ensuring that the dialogue continues,” the source added.