The United States and Iran remain engaged in diplomatic efforts to resolve their differences, with Qatar facilitating the exchange of proposals between the two sides in an attempt to prevent further escalation, the Qatari foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said both Washington and Tehran remained committed to the negotiation process and were reviewing proposals presented by mediators.
Speaking at a news briefing, al-Ansari said Qatar was continuing to facilitate the exchange of proposals between the two countries despite the return of its delegation from Tehran to Doha.
He expressed hope that diplomatic efforts could produce an agreement that would create favourable conditions for further negotiations.
“There are intensive joint regional efforts underway to avoid escalation,” he said, adding that efforts to bridge differences between the two sides were continuing.
However, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Washington and Tehran remained far from reaching an agreement to end the conflict, despite intensified diplomatic activity.
The official said mediators were working to narrow the differences between the two countries. Qatari representatives had travelled to Tehran on Monday night to discuss a draft agreement that had reportedly been under negotiation for eight days.
Tehran, however, maintained that its conditions must be accepted before the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened.
The Iranian official said nuclear negotiations could only begin after Washington addressed Tehran’s demands. Iran would not accept what it described as excessive US demands, the official added.
The official also warned that Iran would respond forcefully to American attacks, both within the region and beyond.
Meanwhile, tensions around the strategically important Strait of Hormuz intensified after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy reported that three oil tankers had struck mines and caught fire in the waterway.
