Iran foreign ministry spokesperson says no enmity with regional countries, including UAE

[Editor's Note: Follow the Khaleej Times live blog for the latest regional developments with the US-Israel-Iran ceasefire now in effect.]

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has said that Iran has no enmity with regional countries, including UAE.

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This comes a day after UAE air defence systems engaged 3 drones on Sunday, one of which struck the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Al Dhafra, causing a fire.

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After the attack, Adviser to the UAE President Anwar Gargash said the "terrorist" incident, "whether carried out by the principal perpetrator or through one of its agents, represents a dangerous escalation and a dark scene that violates all international laws and norms, in criminal disregard for the lives of civilians in the UAE and its surroundings".

Talks with US

Baghaei added that talks with US are ongoing through mediator Pakistan. Reuters reported that a Pakistani official said that Pakistan submitted a revised Iranian proposal to end the war to the US.

Baghaei confirmed that Iran's proposal includes demands to release Iranian frozen funds and lift sanctions. He added that Iran is focused on ending the war at this stage.

Earlier, talks appeared to have stalled when US President Donald Trump said that there would not "be anything left" of Iran if they did not accept the peace deal. He later said on Monday that Iran is "dying to sign [a deal]."

Passage through Strait of Hormuz

Baghaei said on Monday that technical teams from both Iran and Oman have met to discuss a mechanism for safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz — a major trade chokepoint and a key factor in US-Iran negotiations. He said that Iran is in constant communication with Oman and "all relevant parties" on the issue of opening up the Strait.

(With inputs from Reuters)

• Iran Israel war

Written by

Supreeta Balasubramanian

Supreeta is a digital journalist who reads between the lines as she churns out stories. She finds joy in K-pop, exploring new hobbies, and tackling her never-ending list of books to read.