Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Majlis (Parliament) Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf have been temporarily removed from the list of targets for Israeli and American strikes, The Wall Street Journal reports.
According to the newspaper, the US and Israel have taken this step to hold talks with representatives of the Islamic Republic. The publication claims that the deadline for removing the targets from the list is 4-5 days.
US President Donald Trump confirmed that US talks with Iran are continuing and that Tehran is seeking a deal.
He made the statement at the annual fundraising event organized by the Republican Campaign Committee in the House of Representatives.
“They are negotiating and they really want to make a deal, but they are afraid to say it“, the American leader said.
It was previously reported that the United States had sent the Iranian authorities a 15-point plan to end the conflict. According to the newspaper, the plan is aimed at the missile and nuclear programs of the Islamic Republic. The document also addresses freedom of navigation. According to the United States, contacts have been made between the United States and Iran in recent days through intermediaries, including Pakistan. Tehran, however, denies Washington's claims that productive negotiations are underway.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the US president has told his inner circle that he wants to end the conflict with Iran within the next few weeks.
The American leader has personally stated that he wants to avoid a prolonged conflict and calls for maintaining the original term of the military operation against the Islamic Republic - from four to six weeks.
Trump noted that the conflict with Iran is distracting him from other priorities. Several close advisers wanted the American leader to focus on the most pressing issues that worry voters - especially the rising prices caused by the conflict.
According to the newspaper, the White House has scheduled the American prime minister's trip to China for mid-May, with the expectation that the hostilities will end by then.