Mediators have made progress toward resuming U.S.-Iran talks and easing the risk of wider conflict in the Middle East, regional officials said Monday, following a pause in recent attacks.
The comments came after neither the U.S. nor Iran reported carrying out any attacks for three straight days – a respite after about two weeks of sustained bombardments that had led to increasing fears of a return to all-out war.
The two regional officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive regional talks, said mediators led by Qatar and Pakistan were working to bridge the gap between Washington and Tehran to return to an interim cease-fire deal that had been largely undermined by recent exchanges of fire.
The U.S. has paused attacks after targeting Iranian coastal areas and infrastructure in a nearly two-week escalation sparked by Iran’s firing at ships trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global oil shipments. The Pentagon did not respond to questions.
U.S. President Donald Trump is "giving talks some space. He’s giving it a little bit of room," Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told Fox News.
