Even as strikes have continued, Iran and the United States have kept a diplomatic channel alive this month, a sign that both sides continue to see value in talking despite the fighting.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff held three hours of Qatar-mediated talks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, a meeting described as the first of its kind in this round of the crisis. Qatar has played a recurring mediating role in the wider Gulf security picture, given its diplomatic ties to both Washington and Tehran.
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran is ready to return to the Islamabad Memorandum, an agreement signed in June, if the United States does the same. Neither government has publicly detailed what a mutual return to that agreement would involve, but the comment signals that Tehran views the memorandum as a live option rather than a dead one, even amid the renewed fighting.
Separately, allied governments met in Riyadh this week as Iran reiterated its longstanding position that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes. Saudi Arabia has increasingly positioned itself as a convening point for regional diplomacy on the Iran file over the past several years, hosting talks among governments with a stake in the outcome.
Iranian officials have also said they hope Washington returns to the memorandum before US elections, a comment that ties the diplomatic timeline to the American political calendar. None of this has stopped the exchange of strikes described elsewhere in today's brief, underscoring how military and diplomatic tracks are running in parallel rather than in sequence.
Any concrete steps toward reviving the Islamabad Memorandum, rather than statements about willingness to do so, would be the clearest sign that the diplomatic track is gaining ground on the military one.
What is the Islamabad Memorandum?
It is an agreement signed in June between the parties involved in the Iran crisis; officials have referenced it as a potential basis for de-escalation, though full details have not been made public.
Why is Qatar involved?
Qatar has diplomatic relationships with both Washington and Tehran and has repeatedly served as a mediator on Gulf security issues.