Qatar says U.S.-Iran mediated contacts continue as Tehran warns of a ‘large-scale and shocking’ response and sets conditions for talks
Qatar said diplomatic contacts and exchanges of messages between Washington and Tehran are continuing through mediation channels despite rising tensions in the Middle East. Ibrahim bin Sultan Al-Hashmi, director of the media and communications department at Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, said at a weekly press briefing that both sides remained engaged in diplomacy.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir, that Tehran remained willing to engage in dialogue, but that Washington must first remove its threats and sanctions. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Iran would not negotiate until the United States took steps to rebuild trust by meeting Tehran’s conditions. He added that enriched nuclear materials would remain in Iran.
Iranian officials also said the country was preparing for a potential fourth war. Defense Minister Mehrdad Aharaki warned during a public session of parliament that any new miscalculation by adversaries would prompt a “large-scale and shocking response.”
Reports indicated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military and government agencies to work toward overthrowing the Iranian government. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also made an unannounced visit to Israel to meet Netanyahu.
Tensions have also intensified around the Strait of Hormuz. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy reported that a third tanker exploded and caught fire after striking a naval mine south of the strait.
Li Zixin, a Middle East expert at the China Institute of International Studies, warned that the risk of renewed U.S.-Israeli military action against Iran was increasing. He cautioned that renewed fighting could have consequences beyond the immediate parties, potentially triggering regional escalation, threatening energy infrastructure and pushing oil prices above previous highs, with a shock to the global economy.