Trump suggests joint control of Hormuz with Iran

WASHINGTON, March 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said Washington had "major points of agreement" with Iran during the weekend talks that proceeded late into the evening Sunday and suggested the Strait of Hormuz could be "jointly controlled."

"We'll see where they lead," Trump told reporters at the airport in West Palm Beach, where he spent the weekend, adding that his envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner joined the negotiations.

The president claimed Iran initiated the talks, saying if the talks carry through smoothly, the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran would come to an end and the Strait of Hormuz could be "open very soon."

Asked if Iran would still be able to control the crucial waterway, Trump replied that it would be "jointly controlled."

However, Trump declined to identify the Iranian negotiator involved in the discussions with the United States, saying only that Washington is speaking to a "top person" from Iran, but not Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.

Witkoff and Kushner are negotiating with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, according to U.S. and Israeli media reports, while Iran's Tasnim News Agency denied such reports.

Trump also suggested that there will be "a very serious form of a regime change" inside Iran.

"There's automatically a regime change, but we're dealing with some people that I find to be very reasonable, very solid," he said.

Earlier on Monday, Trump told U.S. media outlets that the United States is "very intent on making a deal with Iran," claiming Iran also wants to make a deal badly.

He also wrote on social media that the United States and Iran had held "very good and productive" talks over the past two days and announced a postponement of planned U.S. strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure.

Iran has denied the existence of such talks, describing Trump's move as an attempt to lower energy prices and "buy time" for his military plans.