Iran is willing to be flexible in the nuclear talks if a ceasefire is reached, one of the Iranian sources said.
The Gulf states are deeply concerned the conflict will spin out of control, a Gulf source close to government officials told Reuters.
Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia have all appealed to Washington to press Israel to agree to a ceasefire and to resume talks with Tehran towards a nuclear deal, the Gulf source said.A regional source and an official briefed on Iran’s communications with the Gulf said Tehran had reached out to Qatar and Oman to mediate a return to nuclear talks, but insisted that a ceasefire with Israel be put in place first.
Iran made clear to Oman and Qatar that it would not negotiate while it is under attack and will only begin serious negotiations once it has finished responding to Israeli strikes, the official said.
Iran’s foreign ministry was not immediately available to respond to Reuters’ request for comment. Qatar’s foreign ministry, Oman’s ministry of information, Saudi Arabia’s international media office, the White House and the U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
When asked if a diplomatic mechanism was being worked out to end the campaign, Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi told Army Radio on Monday: ”It is a little early for that. You don’t go to war and look to end it three days later.”
