Qatari mediators reportedly in Tehran in US-coordinated effort to ease tensions

Qatari mediators were in Tehran on Sunday as part of an effort to de-escalate regional tensions in coordination with the United States, Reuters reported, citing an official briefed on the situation. This comes amid mounting US and Israeli threats of renewed attacks on Iran , as President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington “may do another little Epic Fury,” referring to the US-Israeli campaign on Iran that began on February 28.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that a potential resumption of war with Israel and the United States would not change his country’s positions. For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app. “Recently, there has been talk of a new war, but I am already thinking about the post-war period. Whether there is war or not, our policies remain the same,” said Araghchi during a televised event in Tehran.

“They have already done so twice and have seen the results. If they want to try again, they know they will achieve no different outcome from those of the past.” An April 8 ceasefire between Iran and the United States put an end to the most intense fighting, apart from sporadic exchanges of fire in and around the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies. These military flare-ups have lulled in recent weeks. Iran has claimed control over the strait since the outbreak of the war and has regularly targeted vessels that attempt crossing without its authorization – moves strongly opposed by Washington and countries in the region.

In response, the US has been maintaining a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports. In June, Iran agreed with the United States to a memorandum of understanding laying out a pathway to a permanent settlement of the conflict, only for the deal to later unravel as each side accused the other of violating it. Tehran has since called for a return to the accord to end the conflict. “The current war has changed everything. We must accept that new realities are taking hold.

Shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz will no longer be the same, and the management of the strait will no longer be the same,” said Araghchi. “To achieve peace and stability, our region must move towards the complete absence of foreign forces.” Read more: Trump says US may do another military operation against Iran Advertisement Advertisement