US signals progress in Iran talks to avert flare-up

US President Donald Trump signaled progress on Monday in talks with Iran to avoid a return to war, as Tehran reported "intensive" exchanges while offering to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under strict conditions. The fresh diplomatic signals came ahead of US midterm elections on Tuesday, in which Trump's Republican Party is pushing to retain control of Congress, faced with voter dissatisfaction over the conflict and the soaring fuel prices it has triggered.

A deal with Tehran "could happen," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible." But hours later, Washington's diplomatic overtures were dashed by a report that the United States had attacked Iran, in what the Wall Street Journal said was the latest in a string of limited strikes it secretly carried out against the Islamic republic in recent weeks. Iranian state media reported five explosions in rapid succession on Qeshm island in the Strait of Hormuz.

The US Central Command did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment. Earlier, oil prices plunged by more than seven percent on Monday on optimism over a possible end to the eight-month-old conflict. The WSJ report came shortly before polls opened in the midterms, in which Democrats expect to win at least partial control of Congress and impose political constraints on Trump for the first time in two years. - Reopen the strait - Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday that indirect talks with Washington were taking place via mediators.

"Given the sensitivity and gravity of the current situation, consultations and deliberations are very intensive," Araghchi told state media. "Qatar and Pakistan are playing a very active mediating role in these negotiations." Vice President JD Vance said both he and Trump were optimistic about securing an agreement. "We've certainly made some progress. We'll see if we can make some more," Vance told reporters on Monday. China also urged a return to diplomacy, while Iran's security chief discussed the conflict with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Earlier, the Axios news outlet reported that Vance had sent a letter to Iranian national security chief Mohsen Rezaei about possible new talks, marking the highest-level move in months. Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said the messages received from Washington were "an acknowledgement of our victory." A senior Iranian official said that Tehran was ready to open the Hormuz strait, an export conduit for the energy-rich Gulf, within two days -- as long as Washington agreed to its list of demands.

In September, Iran proposed a seven-day plan to reopen the strait, with demands including ending the war on all fronts, unfreezing Iranian assets, lifting oil sanctions and ending its counter-blockade of Iranian ports. "The possibility of implementing this plan in two days is another indication of Iran's good-faith approach," Tehran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told reporters at a briefing. Chinese President Xi Jinping also discussed the war with Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq in Beijing on Monday -- the first visit to China by the Gulf nation's head of state since diplomatic ties were established.

"The two sides called for resolving disputes through political and diplomatic means, urging the United States and Iran to pursue a peaceful path, achieve a ceasefire (and) prevent war entirely," an Omani statement said. - 'No compromises' - China held meetings with Iranian and Saudi officials in Beijing on Monday as well. Beijing supports Tehran in "safeguarding its own sovereignty and security," Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Ali Bagheri, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, according to a Chinese statement.

Bagheri told Wang that "Tehran's stance on defending its national security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity remains unchanged, and that Iran will make no compromises in this regard," state TV reported. In an interview with Al Jazeera released on Sunday, Araghchi said Washington must accept a new route agreed between Iran and Oman for transiting the strait. He said Washington must also remove sanctions imposed recently and reduce American troop numbers in the region.

Trump has kept up his threats against Tehran, saying on Sunday that the United States may have to give Iran "the hammer" at some unspecified time. On Saturday, the US leader said he still had to "take care" of one or two targets including Pickaxe mountain in central Iran, a suspected nuclear site which Tehran denies is such a facility. Baqaei warned that any act of aggression against Iran "will be met with a powerful, immediate and comprehensive response." rkh-pdm-mz-bys/dw/cms/abs