Iranian Lawmaker Says Indirect Talks With US Continuing Through Qatar, Oman

ISTANBUL, Oct 17 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Indirect talks between Iran and the US are continuing through mediation by Qatar and Oman, an Iranian lawmaker said Saturday, as Tehran-Washington tensions remain high, according to local media, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

Yaqoub Rezazadeh, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told the ILNA news agency that both sides had presented conditions through the mediators.

“We have presented a set of conditions, and the other side has also presented a set of conditions. We are now waiting to see whether the conditions we announced will be accepted by the Americans,” Rezazadeh said.

He said the contacts were being conducted with the involvement of Qatar and Oman.

Rezazadeh said the negotiations were being overseen by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, adding that issues under discussion were handled with the council’s approval.

The lawmaker also played down speculation about an imminent new conflict between Iran and the US, saying predictions based on betting markets or reports of a possible preemptive Iranian attack were unfounded.

He said he did not expect another war before US congressional elections and elections in Israel, while acknowledging that renewed fighting remained possible.

Rezazadeh said Iran would not launch a preemptive attack but would respond if attacked, claiming that Tehran’s military, air defence, and naval capabilities had significantly improved compared with the previous two rounds of fighting.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU