TEHRAN: Qatari mediators visited Iran on Sunday to seek a deal with the United States, as President Donald Trump kept future military action on the table.
An official briefed on the effort told Reuters that Doha coordinated the visit with Washington. The talks aim to reduce regional tensions.
Trump ruled out a US strike on Sunday. However, he did not exclude military action later. “There will not be a strike today,” he said.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran and Washington were still exchanging messages through intermediaries. He added that Iran remained open to diplomacy.
Major differences persist over a settlement. Washington continues to focus on Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Iranian officials have characterised US conditions as demands for Tehran’s complete surrender.
Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan said on Saturday that Tehran remained willing to resume negotiations. He referred to an interim agreement brokered through Islamabad in June.
Read: Iran Nuclear Talks Stall as Tehran Rejects Uranium Transfer
Regional governments have also pressed both sides to pursue diplomacy. Foreign ministers from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Britain, France, Germany and Italy met in Istanbul on Friday.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned that renewed attacks on Iran could widen the conflict. Tensions remain high around the Strait of Hormuz.
Read: Iran Fully Prepared, Supreme Leader’s Adviser Says
US Central Command said it had supported more than 3,000 commercial vessel transits there during the past six months.
CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had laid mines, but the main shipping routes remained clear.
