US-Iran negotiations are continuing through Qatari mediators as threats of renewed fighting grow, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly pressing President Donald Trump to launch further strikes on Iran.
Mr Trump said on Sunday that he had spoken to Mr Netanyahu the previous day and described their conversation as “very good”. He gave no details, but said they had discussed the war in Iran.
Reports indicate that Mr Netanyahu urged the US president to attack Iran, while Mr Trump favoured allowing the indirect negotiations to continue. Qatar is leading efforts to secure an agreement before the conflict escalates further.
Iranian negotiators are in Qatar, where discussions include a proposal that could allow the Strait of Hormuz to reopen soon. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the outcome would depend on the answers provided by the United States.
Diplomatic efforts have been accompanied by warnings from both sides. Mr Trump said on Saturday that the US still had to “take care of” one or two possible targets in Iran, including what he described as a suspected nuclear complex at Pickaxe Mountain.
On Sunday, he said he might have to give Tehran “the hammer” at an unspecified time. He has also repeatedly suggested that attacks on Iran could resume after the US midterm elections.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei warned that a renewed conflict would have no “geographical limitations”, saying there was a “vast theatre” in which damage could be inflicted.
The United Arab Emirates said it hoped diplomacy would succeed but was preparing for further escalation. Anwar Gargash, a presidential adviser, said at a security forum in Bahrain that the UAE and the wider region were braced for “the worst”.
Mr Gargash said Iran’s attacks on Gulf countries, including the UAE, had made the year a “watershed year” for the region. “We don’t really want to see another round of confrontation in the region,” he said.
Concerns have also been raised over shipping in the Gulf. The UKMTO maritime agency said a merchant vessel had reported that another vessel was struck by an “unknown projectile” in the Strait of Hormuz.
The report followed an announcement by Qatar’s state news agency that a Qatari liquefied natural gas carrier, Al Mayeda, had been attacked by “unidentified objects” while travelling through Gulf waters. No crew members were injured and there was no environmental impact, it said.
