Iran says the United States has conveyed a message through an Arab Persian Gulf country aimed at addressing the comprehensive resolution of the regional crisis.
In an interview with Lebanon's Al-Ahed news, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Syria, Hossein Akbari stated that “approximately ten days ago, a delegation from an Arab Persian Gulf country visited Tehran, carrying a message from the Americans.”
"They [Americans] called for a resolution to the crisis in the entire region," he added, looking to Iran whose proxies in Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon have all been carrying out attacks on US facilities in the region and Israel, in the wake of the Iran-backed Hamas war on Israel.
No independent source has confirmed Akbari's claim, and US authorities have not issued any response.
The revelations come as Israel has been stepping up attacks on Iran-linked operations in Syria, including killing a senior Quds Force commander and taking out weapons shipments. On Monday, Israel assassinated a top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon, just days after eliminating the deputy political leader of Hamas in Beirut.
Naser Kanaani, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, indirectly confirmed the reception of a message from the United States to Iran during a press briefing in Tehran on Monday, while the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tours the Middle East in a bid to bring peace to the region.
While the Islamic Republic claims the decision for the recent attacks was made independently by its proxies groups, the United States holds Tehran primarily responsible. It has formed a more than 20-nation coalition to combat the blockade of the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthis, which has become a major threat to global trade.
While the US has been attacked more than 100 times since the Gaza war was triggered by Hamas's invasion of Israel, only a handful of responses have been levied by the Biden administration.