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Middle East conflict

Trump to pursue dialogue with Tehran before escalating pressure, says Iranian expert

Heshmatollah Falahatpishe believes Tehran should have made more efforts to advance Oman-based negotiations in order to prevent an escalation of tensions in the Middle East and continue Iran’s rapprochement with Arab countries

DUBAI, November 15. /TASS/. US President-elect Donald Trump will attempt to establish dialogue with Tehran before shifting to a policy of maximum pressure, according to Heshmatollah Falahatpishe, an Iranian Middle East expert and former parliament member.

"Regarding the situation with the new US administration, I am confident that Trump will certainly try to establish diplomatic dialogue with Iran, while simultaneously working on a plan to apply as much pressure as possible on the country. In this regard, Iran should not suspend diplomatic engagement with the U.S.," the analyst stated in an interview with the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA).

In his view, since a new government took office in Iran, many mistakes have been made regarding relations with the US Specifically, the expert believes Tehran should have made more efforts to advance Oman-based negotiations in order to prevent an escalation of tensions in the Middle East and continue Iran’s rapprochement with Arab countries.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that, despite "mutual hostility," Washington and Tehran could eventually reach a diplomatic agreement during Donald Trump’s second presidential term. However, the newspaper’s sources did not rule out that Trump would significantly intensify sanctions pressure on Iran, curbing its oil exports.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced in October that Tehran had suspended the nuclear deal-related negotiation process with Washington, brokered by Oman. The top diplomat cited the situation in the Middle East as the reason but added that the communication channel established through the Swiss embassy in Iran remained operational.

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