• Source:JND

US President Donald Trump says he doesn’t “care” about a proposed meeting between Iran and the Gulf states to discuss the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing conflict with Tehran. Trump said on Sunday that he had no objection to Gulf countries holding talks with Iranian officials about the future of the strategic waterway, adding that it was "up to them" whether they chose to meet.

“I don’t care. That’s up to them,” Trump told reporters during his visit to Ireland when asked about the meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Oman on Monday.

He also reiterated that he expects the war with Iran to end this year, possibly shortly after the US midterm elections in November, which he said could result in a drop in oil prices.

"The UAE, the Emiratis and other countries of the region are our brothers. We have been living together for a long time and we have had trade. We have supported each other," he said.

He said that friendly countries should not allow "enemies" to use their soil to attack other neighbouring countries, the Iranian leader said.

The comments come as Iran and the United Arab Emirates try to improve ties despite their differences over the wider war in the Middle East.

On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the two countries want to "turn the page" on the conflict.

"We had a constructive exchange with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi," Masoud Pezeshkian said, a day after meeting Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in India on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.

"It was agreed that we would turn the page, look to the future and build it together", he added.

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In August, the UAE had announced that it was suspending trade and financial exchanges with Iran.

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The meeting between both leaders on Saturday was the first high level talks between Iran and UAE since the region was thrown into turmoil by the joint US-Israeli attack on Tehran and Iran’s subsequent retaliatory strikes on US military bases across the Gulf, including in the UAE.


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