- Trump hasn't decided on attack: Rubio
- Iran sees 'completely changed' US tone
Iranian negotiators held talks with mediators Saturday on ways to end the war in the Gulf, a source told Reuters, as Tehran said Washington’s tone had “completely changed” amid fears of fresh fighting after Tuesday’s US midterm elections.
The talks followed more than 12 hours of discussions between Iranian and Qatari envoys in Tehran on Friday, said the source, who was briefed on the negotiations and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that an Iranian delegation was in Doha continuing consultations with mediators, and that Tehran had reviewed a letter from US Vice President JD Vance, describing Washington’s attempt to open dialogue as a “positive step”.
He stressed, however, that “currently, there are no plans for meetings with American officials”, according to the state news agency IRNA. “Iran’s conditions are clear, and consultations regarding them are ongoing among mediators,” he said.
Qatar and Pakistan have been mediating between the warring parties, though the talks have yet to produce a lasting agreement.
Vance’s letter was addressed to Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei, who said in a video broadcast on Iranian television that he had read it but not yet replied. “Their tone has completely changed,” he said, calling the shift “a good sign” that showed Iran had “consolidated its victory”. He declined to comment further on its contents.
Rezaei also told state television that Iran was debating whether to maintain its longstanding ban on nuclear weapons should hostilities resume, though no decision on any change had been taken.
The diplomatic activity unfolded against a backdrop of mounting threats. In Atlanta, where he was hosting G20 foreign ministers for a two-day meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump had not decided on fresh strikes on Iran, amid reports that he could order an attack after the midterms.
“We can achieve military objectives if we seek to,” Rubio told a press conference. “I have no announcement in that regard with you today, and nor do we take any of it lightly.”
He accused Tehran of “actively and openly” targeting commercial vessels but said Trump preferred a diplomatic solution, while declining to set a timeline for talks. “I’m not going to characterise neither the progress on those talks nor any timeframe on it, other than to tell you that if there is a diplomatic solution, we would be open to it,” he said.
Trump has previously said he was weighing whether to “finish them off”.
In Tehran, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned the United States and Israel against launching new attacks. “Any level or type of threat must be met with an immediate, impactful and geographically unrestricted response,” he told top military commanders, according to a statement.
It was the first reported meeting between Khamenei and the military top brass. Those present included armed forces chief of staff Ali Abdollahi, army chief Amir Hatami and Revolutionary Guards commander Ahmad Vahidi. Khamenei has not been seen in public since before he took over in March, after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in US-Israeli strikes. He also ordered commanders to update Iran’s target list to include “all types of tangible and intangible assets belonging to the American-Zionist enemy”.
Iran has previously warned it could consider severing undersea cables in the Strait of Hormuz.
In Israel, which went to the polls on October 27 but has yet to form a new government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken of a “historic, one-time opportunity” to topple the Iranian government.
Any fresh strikes would also raise concern among US allies. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told AFP on Thursday: “We are calling for a diplomatic solution, and really, escalation does not benefit anyone.”
