Iran has intensified its diplomatic outreach as United States President Donald Trump signals that Washington could resume full-scale military strikes against the Islamic republic. The US news website Axios quoted an American official saying US Central Command was preparing for renewed major operations in Iran and was only awaiting orders from Washington. On Thursday, Trump told reporters the US may have to "destroy" the rest of Iran, adding that people will "know soon enough" if he acts.
The diplomatic push follows Iran's downing of two US reconnaissance drones near Qeshm island in the Strait of Hormuz, which American forces struck earlier this week. Tehran has warned it will retaliate if larger US strikes resume.
On Thursday, Iran delivered a new nuclear and peace proposal to the US through Qatari mediators, a senior Iranian official told Reuters, adding it would only be discussed after Washington meets Tehran's seven demands. Reuters reported that the US is examining the proposal. Those demands, which Iran says must be met before it reopens the Strait of Hormuz and restarts peace talks on its nuclear programme, include the lifting of sanctions, the unfreezing of Iranian assets and an end to the US naval blockade of its ports around the strait. Washington, for its part, insists any ceasefire must include a deal on Iran's nuclear capacity before wider talks can begin.
Tehran also deepened ties with Moscow, dispatching top security official Mohsen Rezaei to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Thursday and deliver a message from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Rezaei called it "an extremely important exchange," according to the Iranian embassy, without elaborating. He restated Tehran's position: "As long as they do not execute our seven conditions, we will neither open the Strait of Hormuz nor have negotiations."
The Financial Times reported that Russia previously agreed to supply Iran with 90 helicopter-mounted launchers for precision-guided missiles, citing a Russian defence manufacturer's 2024 and 2025 production schedule. Relations between the two heavily sanctioned countries have deepened since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and during the US-Israeli war on Iran. Iran has supplied Shahed drones used heavily against Ukraine, while Russia has reportedly helped Tehran develop supersonic cruise missiles, sold it Verba shoulder-launched anti-air missiles and shared information potentially relevant to nuclear weapons. Nicole Grajewski of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told the FT the deal shows "Russia's willingness to continue supplying Iran despite its own wartime demands and with far less concern about Western objections than in the past." In early October, Putin said Russia was ready to help mediate an end to the war.
The Kremlin meeting also advanced economic cooperation, with Rezaei telling Iranian state TV the two sides discussed building gas pipelines from Russia to Iran to ease Iran's gas shortages and facilitate Russian energy sales to neighbouring countries. Tehran said its natural gas refineries were hit during the most intense 40-day phase of US-Israeli strikes earlier this year. Separately, Russia's Foreign Ministry advised citizens against travel to Iran, citing "the remaining risks of a new escalation."
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also held phone calls on Thursday with Gulf counterparts, including the UAE's Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, as well as the foreign ministers of Kuwait, Turkiye and Oman, and Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. The calls covered regional stability and de-escalation, with Oman saying safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz was a main topic. Iran, which struck bases and facilities in Gulf states hosting US assets during the heaviest fighting, continues to tightly control shipping through the waterway while granting exemptions to Iraq, Qatar, India and China.
Trump's warnings come despite his Republican Party's heavy losses in this week's midterm elections, driven largely by public anger over the war and rising energy prices. Former Iranian diplomat Hadi Afghahi told Al Jazeera that Trump "really does not want to go to war, because war again will cost him more," though he cautioned the president "is still surrounded by a group of hawks." Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani spoke with Trump on Friday about Doha-led mediation aimed at reaching "a comprehensive agreement that puts an end to the crisis," the Qatari Emiri Diwan said.
Tehran has warned it would retaliate on a wider scale than before if war resumes, and that talks would become unfeasible. A spokesman for the Supreme Advisor to the Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force said Thursday that "any country or force that helps America attack Iran can be a legitimate target." State outlet Tasnim News reported that Iranian missile bases "have a suitable range to target the Zionist regime and American bases" and that any response "will not be geographically limited." Iran has also previously warned that cables, data centres and artificial intelligence facilities across the Gulf could be attacked.
Recent days have seen US "defensive strikes" on Qeshm island and Bandar Lengeh, while Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps navy said at least seven tankers caught fire after hitting mines in the strait this week, including two on Friday it said were crossing with American military support. Maritime organisations have not confirmed the incidents. Control of the strait, which normally carries about one-fifth of global oil supplies, has been a central stumbling block in negotiations since the war began in February, with the US blockading Iranian ports and escorting tankers through the waterway.
