As US-Iran diplomacy gains momentum through Qatari mediation, Tehran is seeking to project a willingness to wage a wider war with the United States and Israel, floating the prospect of retaliation without geographic limits.
Arab states remain open to negotiations with Iran but need a reciprocal response from Tehran, the head of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said on Saturday, as senior regional officials warned of a more destructive phase of the US-Iran war.
Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday, barely a day after leaving the Iranian capital following the reported rejection of their latest peace proposal, as Washington and Tehran remained divided over which side should make the first concessions.
A reported order by Iran’s supreme leader to end the state of “neither war nor peace” may signal a turn towards diplomacy. But a closer reading suggests Tehran is offering no concessions, only restating its longstanding demands for ending the confrontation with Washington.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed joint oil and gas projects in Moscow on Tuesday, as Tehran seeks closer economic ties with Russia while its energy exports remain squeezed by a US naval blockade.
Regional powers are intensifying efforts to prevent a wider war with Iran, but their diplomacy comes with explicit demands of Tehran: reopen the Strait of Hormuz, stop threatening Persian Gulf states and allow international nuclear inspectors to work without obstruction.
Talks involving Saudi Arabia and its defense partners in Tehran may offer a final diplomatic opportunity before a collective military response, a regional affairs analyst said Monday, amid attacks on Saudi territory and threats of renewed US-Iran fighting.
As Iran hosted senior Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani officials for security talks on Monday, an influential hardline newspaper editor warned that the diplomatic initiative could undermine Tehran's position and relieve pressure on the United States.
An Iraqi court ordered the arrest of a provincial leader on Monday after he threatened road blockades and even separation from Iraq over the closure of a border crossing with Iran, revealing tensions over Baghdad's efforts to curb Tehran’s influence on Iraqi security decisions.
Hardliners in Tehran are hailing a surge in global oil prices as evidence that pressure on shipping is paying off, even as moderates warn that the same confrontation is inflicting mounting damage on Iran's economy and strengthening the case for a deal with Washington.
Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey opened talks with Iranian authorities in Tehran on Monday, following increased Iran-backed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and renewed warnings of military action between Tehran and Washington.
Tehran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if Washington lifted its naval blockade, Iran’s envoy to Pakistan said Saturday, while an IRGC-affiliated outlet rejected such an exchange and President Donald Trump raised the possibility of strikes as soon as “tomorrow.”
Pakistan is mediating between Iran and the United States even as it sends troops to defend Saudi Arabia against attacks by Tehran’s allies, placing Islamabad in the conflicting roles of peace broker and military partner to Iran’s rivals.
China regards its relationship with Iran as largely transactional and is not firmly committed to defending the current Iranian government, according to Tong Zhao, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Iranian leaders raised the conditions for negotiations with the United States and issued fresh warnings of a wider military response on Wednesday, even as signs persisted that Tehran was leaving room for diplomacy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Iran with US envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday and offered Moscow’s help, shortly after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Tehran as Russia seeks a role in efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
Iranians seeking German work and vocational-training visas protested outside the German Embassy in Tehran on Tuesday over lengthy delays in securing appointments, with some saying they had already lost job offers or training places while waiting.
Renewed efforts to avert another war with the United States drew conflicting responses in Tehran, with hardliners questioning mediators’ motives while officials defended keeping diplomatic channels open.
Washington and Tehran may still reach a limited deal, but fundamental disagreements leave open the prospect of renewed escalation, analysts told Iran International, with the period after elections in Israel and the United States emerging as a potential turning point.
Investment in trade routes linking Asia and Europe through Central Asia and the Caucasus is putting pressure on Iran’s ambitions to become a major transit hub, with neighboring countries developing transport and digital networks that bypass Iranian territory.
A senior Revolutionary Guards official has compared Iran’s conflict with the United States to a world war that could reshape the global order, reflecting a mindset in Tehran that appears increasingly resistant to backing down despite the risk of renewed US attacks.
Despite signs of movement in negotiations with Washington, Tehran is showing little inclination to ease military pressure, pursuing diplomacy while signaling that renewed US attacks could trigger a broader regional response.