Khamenei approved advancing talks, in Tehran they warn: "The ball is in the US's court"

An Iranian official told Reuters that Iran and the US are far from an agreement, amid Qatar's mediation efforts. Parliament Speaker Qalibaf said Tehran has conveyed a response to Washington, and the ball is in the American court. Iranian President Pezeshkian said Khamenei granted the government authority to advance talks, but a round of talks ended without a breakthrough.

An Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday that Iran and the United States are still far from an agreement to end the war, amid Qatar's mediation efforts and concerns about renewed fighting after the US midterm elections. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf stated that Tehran has conveyed a response to Washington, and now the responsibility to prevent war lies with the Americans. "We gave the American side a firm and logical response, and now the ball is in the Americans' court—to prevent war," Qalibaf said in a parliament session. He claimed that Iranian forces are at maximum defensive readiness and threatened that Iran's response to a miscalculation by Washington would be unpredictable and without geographical limits. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said yesterday that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei granted the government authority to advance talks. A round of talks between Iranian representatives and Qatari mediators ended without a breakthrough. The Iranian framework, presented in September and rejected by Trump, includes ending the American blockade of Iranian ports, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, easing Iranian oil sales, and lifting new sanctions. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported concerns in Gulf states that Iran could make a new round of fighting more destructive in the region.