Khaberni - After days of escalation, the United States has taken a step towards de-escalation with Iran.
The American site "Axios" revealed that the United States informed Iran through multiple channels of its readiness to meet and negotiate an agreement, according to a high-ranking American official.
These diplomatic developments have bolstered hopes for the success of negotiations in averting a wide-scale regional war in the Middle East if American President Donald Trump orders a military strike on Iran, especially in light of massive American military reinforcements in the region.
Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar are working to organize a meeting between White House envoy Steve Witkoff and senior Iranian officials in Ankara later this week, according to two regional sources quoted by "Axios", with an official from one of these countries stating that "things are going well" and "we are doing our best".
The three countries, which previously collaborated with the Trump administration to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, aim to prevent an American-Iranian negotiation from erupting into a regional war.
Officials in the White House stated that Trump has not made a final decision regarding ordering a military strike on Iran and remains open to a diplomatic solution.
The officials added that Trump's recent statements about the negotiations are not merely maneuvers, but the United States does not know whether the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will grant his diplomats the authority to reach an agreement acceptable to it.
Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey continue talks with both sides and coordinate their efforts, according to sources.
In remarks to the American news network "CNN", Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that "friendly countries" are striving to "build trust" between the United States and Iran, describing these efforts as "fruitful".
He added: "I see the potential for another round of talks if the American negotiation team adheres to what President Trump has mentioned regarding reaching a fair and equitable agreement that ensures Iran does not possess nuclear weapons".
The Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, visited Tehran yesterday, Saturday, where he met with Ali Larijani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran and close to Khamenei, and shortly after the meeting, Larijani wrote on the platform "X" that there is "progress" regarding "establishing a framework for negotiations".
Simultaneously, the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had a phone call on Saturday with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, urging him to agree to a meeting with Trump's officials.
The day before that, the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, and discussed with him the possible location and agenda for a potential meeting with White House officials.
Trump said to reporters aboard Air Force One last evening, "I hope they negotiate something acceptable... They can negotiate a satisfactory deal, no nuclear weapons, etc... They have to do it... I don't know if they will... But they are talking to us... They are seriously talking to us."
Conversely, Khamenei adopted a hard stance in a speech he delivered today, claiming that the United States wants to "swallow" Iran and take over its oil, gas, and minerals and said, "The Americans should know that if they ignite this war, it will be a regional war" but he did not give any indication of negotiations.
The Israeli Army Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, visited Washington on Friday and Saturday to hold talks with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Ken, regarding the possibility of an American strike on Iran.
American and Israeli officials stated that the visit, kept secret, aimed to exchange information between the two sides on defensive and offensive plans in case a war with Iran ensued.
