WASHINGTON, July 28 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said there have been good talks with Iran even as he reiterated his threats to target Pickaxe Mountain as well as bridges and power plants if a deal is not made with Tehran.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said he wanted to avoid targeting Iran's bridges and power plants if possible.
NICOSIA, July 28 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched a fresh effort on Tuesday to coax Cyprus' rival sides back into peace talks after nearly a decade of deadlock.
His first visit to the island as U.N. chief comes amid signs the sides may be ready to negotiate again, but they remain divided over the ground rules for talks. Failure would prolong a dispute that strains ties between NATO allies Greece and Turkey and weighs on Ankara's relations with the European Union.
By Mohi Narayan
NEW DELHI, July 28 (Reuters) - The number of vessels passing through Bab el-Mandeb rose to 28 on Monday, a four-day high, while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low, according to Kpler shipping data, amid optimism about a potential resolution to the U.S.-Iran conflict.
Traffic was still below the month's peak of 46 vessels recorded on July 14, the data showed.
DUBAI, July 28 (Reuters) - Iran's foreign minister discussed issues related to the security of the Strait of Hormuz in separate phone calls with his Saudi and Omani counterparts on Monday evening, according to a statement published on his Telegram channel on Tuesday.
The statement said Abbas Araqchi "discussed the latest bilateral and regional developments, and emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation and advance joint diplomatic efforts to establish stability in the region."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House Tuesday for his first in-person talks with President Donald Trump since the Iran war began, as the US military reported it had intercepted multiple missiles launched by Tehran.
The closed-door talks -- which the White House described as "positive and productive" -- lasted for about an hour and a half and came as Netanyahu and Trump sought to patch over public disagreements on the war.
By Pesha Magid
TAL, West Bank, July 27 (Reuters) - Palestinian villagers in the occupied West Bank said on Monday the area was coming close to breaking point after increasing incursions by Israeli settlers and violent stand-offs, such as one that left six people shot dead last week.
The Israeli military made dozens of arrests and blocked roadways through the West Bank after Friday's incident in the village of Tal, southwest of Nablus, where four Palestinians and two Israelis were killed.
By Timour Azhari
RIYADH, July 27 (Reuters) - Yemen's Houthi Movement aims to replicate Iran's Hormuz Strait strategy in the Red Sea by disrupting shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb and hasbeen emboldened by an insufficient international response, Yemen's top diplomat said on Monday.
"The Houthis want to copy the Iranian model and this will shut down two main straits, the gateways into the Gulf and Red Sea," Yemeni Foreign Minister-designate Afrah Al-Zouba said, speaking to a small group of journalists at the Yemeni embassy in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
By Bo Erickson, Nayera Abdallah and Elwely Elwelly
WASHINGTON/DUBAI, July 27 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Monday the United States was having "good talks" with Iran and there was a chance of a deal over their conflict, but he warned that U.S. strikes would resume if the negotiations failed to deliver.
Despite Trump's optimism, Tehran appeared to quickly test the pause in the U.S. military campaign, with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq reporting drone attacks on Monday.
By Bo Erickson and Jason Lange
WASHINGTON, July 27 (Reuters) - Just one in three Americans support the waron Iran, the lowest reading in a Reuters/Ipsos poll since the five-month-old conflict's early days, with most respondents saying that President Donald Trump has failed to explain his goals.
The poll, conducted Friday through Sunday, also showed the Republican president's approval rating ticking higher to 37%, up three points from last month when his rating tied the lowest of his presidency.
US President Donald Trump voiced optimism Monday that diplomacy with Iran could produce a deal to end the months-long war, but warned that Washington would resume military strikes if negotiations failed.
"I have a lot of patience... We'll see what happens. I think there is a good chance that something could happen," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, when asked about possible progress in peace talks.
"If it doesn't, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago."
