Tehran states diplomacy is “progressing” amid intense tensions with Washington
US President Donald Trump has stated he won’t disclose his strategies for addressing Iran even to America’s nearest regional allies. Yet, while Washington has increased military pressure on Tehran, both parties have signaled that informal diplomatic channels are still operational.
Over the past few weeks, the US has sent what Trump calls a “massive” and “beautiful armada” to the area—headed by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier—to push Tehran to agree to his demands for a new nuclear agreement.
When questioned in a Saturday Fox News interview about whether he’d notified Persian Gulf allies of potential US military moves, Trump pointed out that disclosing specifics might harm the chance of a peaceful solution.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has aimed to adopt a balanced tone of caution and restraint, stating Tehran isn’t looking for a conflict with the United States and asserting that war would serve neither party.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has never sought, and in no way seeks, war, and it is firmly convinced that a war would be in the interest of neither Iran, nor the United States, nor the region,” Pezeshkian said.
Trump has often stated he favors a diplomatic result but has warned that any future strike on Iran would be “far worse” than earlier attacks. Media outlets quote administration sources as saying Trump is weighing options from hitting Iranian security forces and nuclear facilities to targeting officials, in an effort to reignite anti-government demonstrations.