WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump’s lead Iran negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Saturday visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, the US military said, with Washington and Tehran due to hold further talks soon.
The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said the two top officials visited the nuclear-powered vessel in a post on social media.
In his own social media post, Witkoff said the aircraft carrier and its strike group was “keeping us safe and upholding President Trump’s message of peace through strength.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday he hoped talks with the United States would resume soon, while reiterating Tehran’s red lines and warning against any American attack.
The two sides held a first round of indirect talks in Oman on Friday, with Araghchi terming them a “good start.” Trump also described the talks as “very good.”
The USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the Middle East in January, as Trump ramped up threats against Iran over its crackdown on widespread anti-government protests.
Friday’s negotiations were the first since nuclear talks between Iran and the United States collapsed last year following Israel’s unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, which triggered a 12-day war.
During the war, US warplanes bombed Iranian nuclear sites. – AFP
