Washington and Tehran on Monday both indicated they seek talks to avoid a clash as tensions rise over Iran's deadly crackdown on protests but the bitter arch-foes indicated they were also ready to fight should diplomacy fail.
The Islamic Republic is facing one of the greatest ever challenges to its nearly 50-year rule as nationwide protests which have swelled since starting on Dec. 28 have been met with deadly force.
Eyewitnesses and medics told Iran International the preliminary death tolls since protests began on Dec. 28 had ramped up in recent days to at least 2,000 people.
The two longtime adversaries were already in a diplomatic stalemate even before US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened attacking Iran should it kill demonstrators.
But both countries signaled openness to diplomacy on Monday.
“I think one thing President Trump is very good at is always keeping all of his options on the table,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday.
“Airstrikes would be of the many, many options that are on the table for the commander-in-chief," she added. "Diplomacy is always the first option for the president. He told all of you last night that what you’re hearing from the Iranian regime is quite differently from the messages the administration has received privately.”
“I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages. However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when deemed necessary,” Leavitt continued. “Nobody knows that better than Iran.”
US air strikes capped off a surprise Israeli military attack on Iran in June which Trump said had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear sites.
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has been in touch in recent days with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, CNN and Axios reported on Monday citing sources familiar with the matter, but it remained unclear what progress the contacts achieved.
But the US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Sky News on Monday that bringing about regime change in Iran was not Washington's aim.
"I don't think it's something that the United States is actively engaged in trying to hasten anything," he was quoted as saying. "It's a matter of respect," he added, "and this is what President Trump has framed it (as); he wants there to be recognition that the government of Iran should not murder its own people."
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has long rejected US demands that it end domestic uranium enrichment and rein in its missile program and support for armed allies in the region, saying it amounts to an attack on Iran's sovereignty.
But foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday appeared to signal the possibility of a diplomatic off-ramp to the quarrel.
“The Islamic Republic is not seeking war, but it is fully prepared for war," he said. “The Islamic Republic is also ready for negotiations, but these talks must be fair, based on equal rights and founded on mutual respect.”
