Iran says US contacts continue after Qatari mediation yields no breakthrough

Iran said on Monday that indirect contacts with the United States were continuing despite several days of discussions with Qatari mediators ending without a breakthrough toward ending the eight-month war. The mediation produced changes to proposals, while concerns persisted that fighting could resume after Tuesday's US midterm elections.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khomenei had given the government "certain authorities" concerning peace negotiations, according to Iranian state media. He said Tehran would seek to resolve the dispute through dialogue but offered no further details. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei also confirmed that messages were being exchanged through intermediaries, describing the issue as complex.

Baghaei said Iran's seven-step proposal, submitted in September and rejected that month by US President Donald Trump, remained the foundation of the discussions. He confirmed remarks attributed to Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday that the proposal could be shortened, saying the condensed version could be implemented within two days.

The proposal calls for Washington to lift its blockade of Iranian ports and for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. It also includes a US waiver for Iranian oil sales and the cancellation of new sanctions against Iran, followed by negotiations on other matters. Baghaei said shortening the plan would leave Iran's position on nuclear negotiations unchanged: those talks could resume only after Tehran verified that all its conditions had been fulfilled. He answered no when asked whether transferring Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile abroad had been discussed and whether Tehran might accept such a move.

An official briefed on the negotiations said Iranian representatives departed on Sunday, adding that their departure did not reflect problems with the talks. The official also said a draft proposal was circulating but provided no details. Oil prices dropped nearly 4% on Monday amid hopes for a diplomatic resolution, although Iranian sources said they considered another US attack more likely than an agreement.

The United States and Israel began the war on February 28. The conflict has brought Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the US blockade of Iranian ports, repeated Iranian drone and missile attacks on Gulf states and renewed fighting in Yemen. Trump has repeatedly ruled out a new attack before Tuesday's elections. Iran has warned that it would respond aggressively to renewed attacks, with plans to hit targets inside and outside the Middle East.

China and Russia called on Monday for diplomatic efforts to prevent further military action in a conflict that has affected the global economy. Following a meeting in Beijing with senior Iranian security official Ali Bagheri Kani, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the parties to pursue political solutions. Russia's Foreign Ministry expressed extreme concern over reports of possible new military action against Iran and called for more diplomacy.

A separate incident highlighted continuing risks to energy supplies. Nakilat said on Sunday that unidentified objects had struck a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker in the Gulf on Friday. While oil tankers have frequently come under attack in the Gulf and Red Sea during the war, incidents involving LNG carriers have been unusual. The previous reported incident involving a Qatari tanker occurred in early July.