US media: Trump proposes that Vance meet with Iranian officials this week

PANews June 17 news, according to the New York Times, according to a US official, Trump has proposed that Vice President Vance and his Middle East envoy Vitkov propose a meeting with the Iranians this week. The proposal may be welcomed, Trump said on Monday: "I think Iran is basically ready to negotiate, they want to make a deal." The urgency seems to be rising. The White House announced on Monday evening that Trump will leave the Group of Seven (G7) summit early due to the situation in the Middle East, and it remains unclear what he intends to do. Officials said that if Vance and Vitkov do meet with the Iranians, the possible Iranian interlocutor will be the country's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. He played a key role in the 2015 nuclear agreement with the Obama administration and is familiar with every aspect of Iran's huge nuclear facilities. Araghchi, who has been Vitkov's counterpart in recent negotiations, expressed his willingness to reach an agreement in a statement on Monday: "If President Trump is sincere about diplomacy and is interested in preventing this war, the next steps will be crucial."