- By Jennifer Aprill
- (General Dispatch) – Iran should refrain from any provocation as the White House intensifies its efforts to salvage the 2015 agreements with Tehran. “I think this would be a good time for everyone to be sober and cautious and see what happens,” said Gen. Kenneth McKenzie.
- Joe Biden has been trying to resume negotiations with the European Union to resume the 2015 nuclear agreement in order to ease the tight sanctions imposed on Tehran as long as they limit its nuclear program.
- After the talks in Tehran, UN chief Rafael Grossi announced that Iranian facilities would be monitored in order to issue a report. The general of the U.S. military’s central command asked Iran not to take any action that could seriously undermine attempts to reach an agreement.
- The US blames Iran for financing Shiite military groups in Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. Apart from the fact that Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard has suspended the free transit of some of the oil vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
- The Strait of Hormuz was the focus of a visit by the US general to try to establish talks with Iran’s chief of staff Abdallah Ben Khamis al-Raissi, visiting the Oman peninsula at the Khasab naval base that controls maritime traffic in that area.
- Security on that visit was tight although the general said he did not rule out any intention by Tehran to avenge Iranian General Qasem Soleimani who was killed in a US attack in Baghdad in January 2020.
- Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on his twitter account posted a call to avenge the death of Qasem Soleimani, despite this fact the US general mentioned that he is prepared for any violent action that wants to harm the protection measures.
- Some rockets have hit bases used by the US in recent months; pro-Iran forces are blamed for carrying out such attacks. The Sultanate of Oman is a US ally and has been a mediator from the time the 2015 deal was mooted.
Adittional Information:
Breitbart: U.S. Top General Urges Iran Restraint amid Efforts to Restart Talks
Times: United States top general, Kenneth McKenzie, urges Iran restraint amid efforts to restart talks
