United States President Donald Trump’s administration rebuffed efforts by Middle Eastern allies to start diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the Iran war that started two weeks ago with a massive US-Israeli air assault, according to three sources familiar with the efforts.
Iran rejected the possibility of any ceasefire until US and Israeli strikes ended, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters, adding that several countries tried to mediate an end to the conflict, Reuters reported.
The lack of interest from Washington and Tehran suggested both sides were digging in for an extended conflict, even as the widening war inflicted civilian casualties and Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices soaring. The war killed more than 2,000 people, mostly in Iran, and created the biggest-ever oil supply disruption as maritime traffic halted in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is transported.
US strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export hub, on Friday night underscored Trump’s determination to press ahead with his military assault. Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut and threatened to step up attacks on neighbouring countries.
Oman, which mediated talks before the war, tried multiple times to open a line of communication, but the White House made clear it was not interested, according to two sources, who like others in this story were granted anonymity in order to speak freely about diplomatic matters. A senior White House official confirmed Trump rebuffed those efforts to start talks and was focused on pressing ahead with the war to further weaken Tehran’s military capabilities.
"He's not interested in that right now, and we're going to continue with the mission unabated. Maybe there's a day, but not right now," the official said.
During the first week of the war, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that Iran’s leadership and military were so battered by US-Israeli strikes that they wanted to talk, but that it was “Too Late!” He has a history of shifting foreign policy stances without warning, making it hard to rule out that he might test the waters for restarting diplomacy.
"President Trump said new potential leadership in Iran has indicated they want to talk and eventually will talk. For now, Operation Epic Fury continues unabated," a second senior White House official said when asked to comment on this story.
The Iranian sources said Tehran rejected efforts by several countries to negotiate a ceasefire until the US and Israel ended their airstrikes and met Iran’s demands, which included a permanent end to US and Israeli attacks and compensation as part of a ceasefire.
Egypt, which was involved in mediation before the war, also tried to reopen communications, according to three security and diplomatic sources. While the efforts did not appear to have made progress, they secured some military restraint from neighbouring countries hit by Iran, according to one of the sources.
Egypt’s foreign ministry, the govt of Oman and the Iranian govt did not respond to requests for comment.
The war’s impact on global oil markets significantly increased the cost for the United States. Some US officials and advisers to Trump urged a quick end to the war, warning that surging petrol prices could exact a high political price from the president’s Republican Party, with US midterm elections looming.
Others pressed Trump to maintain the offensive against the Islamic Republic to destroy its missile programme and prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon, according to Reuters reporting.
Trump’s rejection of diplomatic efforts could indicate that, for now, the administration had no plans for a quick end to the war. Indeed, both the United States and Iran appeared even less willing to engage than during the opening days of the war, when senior US officials reached out to Oman to discuss de-escalating, according to several sources.
One source said Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also sought to use Oman as a conduit for ceasefire discussions that would have involved US Vice President JD Vance. But those discussions did not materialise.
Instead, Iran’s position hardened, said a third senior Iranian source.
"Whatever was communicated previously through the diplomatic channels is irrelevant now," said the source.
"The Guards strongly believe that if they lose control over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran will lose the war," the source added, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite paramilitary force that controls large parts of the economy.
"Therefore, the Guards will not accept any ceasefire, ceasefire talks, or diplomatic efforts, and Iran’s political leaders will not engage in such talks despite attempts by several countries."
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