Iran's Khamenei gives Pezeshkian government ‘certain powers’ for US peace talks: Report

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had granted the government “certain powers” to pursue talks with the United States aimed at ending the Middle East war, TOI reported, citing Iran's state news agency IRNA.

“We are striving to resolve the issue through dialogue. In this regard, the Supreme Leader has also conferred certain powers on the government,” Pezeshkian said, according to the report.

Also Read: US secretly attacks Iran's Qeshm Island at strategic Hormuz gateway: Report


His remarks came shortly after Iran's foreign ministry said Tehran was exchanging messages with Washington through mediators, signalling a possible diplomatic opening even as tensions remained high and the prospects of renewed fighting persisted.

The diplomatic efforts came against the backdrop of secret US strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island, located at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, in recent weeks.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier today, citing US officials, that the attacks were part of a series of limited strikes aimed at preventing Iran from targeting commercial ships.

Washington kept the strikes under wraps to avoid signalling a return to major combat, even as the Trump administration weighed further military and economic options.

Earlier on Monday, Iran said it had drawn up a two-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear talks with Washington, shortening the timeline from an earlier proposal that was expected to take seven days. The plan, however, remained conditional on the US meeting Tehran's demands.

Iran said ships using the strait would have to follow a route agreed upon by Tehran and Oman and travel under Iranian supervision. Its other reported demands included lifting the US blockade on Iranian ports, removing sanctions on Iranian oil sales and extending a ceasefire to Lebanon.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the proposal remained the basis for negotiations through mediators, describing it as evidence of Tehran's “good-faith approach”. He did not say whether Iran had revised its demands or whether Washington had accepted them.

The diplomatic signals came as US President Donald Trump continued to alternate between pursuing negotiations and threatening heavy bombing of Iran. Iran's top diplomat had said on Sunday that he hoped Washington would choose “diplomacy over other paths”.