Diplomatic efforts underway as Israel urges US to strike Iran

A diplomatic push is being made to prevent the US from attacking Iran, with Tehran signalling its willingness to hold talks on its nuclear programme, amid reports that Israel is urging Washington to go ahead with strikes.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the start of talks with the US on the issue, as US President Donald Trump indicated he was open to an agreement on Tehran's nuclear programme to end the crisis.

Tensions are high after a huge US military build-up in the Gulf, with fears escalating over the weekend over imminent strikes on Tehran amid a flurry of diplomatic activity, which comes against the backdrop of large-scale anti-government protests in Iran.

"President Pezeshkian has ordered the opening of talks with the United States," the news agency Fars reported on Monday, citing an unnamed government source.

"Iran and the United States will hold talks on the nuclear file," Fars said, without specifying a date. 

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei also appeared to confirm Tehran was open to negotiations, following talks in Turkey on the issue, and with further talks expected to take place there this week.

"Countries of the region are acting as mediators in the exchange of messages," Baqaei said, without giving details on the content of any prospective negotiations.

"Several points have been addressed, and we are examining and finalising the details of each stage in the diplomatic process, which we hope to conclude in the coming days. This concerns the method and framework," he added.

"Several points have been addressed, and we are examining and finalising the details of each stage in the diplomatic process, which we hope to conclude in the coming days."

Many analysts see the US military build-up as an attempt to pressure Tehran into negotiations on the future of its nuclear programme, as Washington dispatched an aircraft carrier and other military hardware to the region in recent weeks.

The US has used the brutal government crackdown on protesters as a reason for possibly intervening in Iran.

"Time is running out" for Iran to reach a deal on its nuclear programme, Trump said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who has been engaged in talks with regional powers on the tensions, said Tehran is eye-to-eye with Washington on this issue.

"President Trump said no nuclear weapons, and we fully agree. We fully agree with that. That could be a very good deal," Araghchi told CNN on Sunday.

"Of course, in return, we expect sanctions lifting. So, that deal is possible. Let's not talk about impossible things."

Last week, Turkey accused Israel of stoking regional tensions, as Ankara hosted Iran's foreign minister to find a way out of the crisis.

"We see that Israel is trying to persuade the US to launch a military attack on Iran… We hope the US administration will act with common sense and not allow this to happen," Turkey Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in a press conference.

The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, also said on Sunday that Washington would closely work with Israel if it decides to strike Iran, but that Trump is also seeking a peaceful end to the crisis.

On Sunday, Iran denied that it was planning live firing military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, something that might have been viewed as a challenge to the US armada in the area.

"There was no plan for the Guards to hold military exercises there, and there was no official announcement about it. Only media reports which were wrong," an Iranian official told Reuters.

Tensions over Iran's nuclear programme have been ongoing for years, with Israel and Tehran saying its activities are entirely peaceful and Israel and the US alleging these activities are a cover for the development of nuclear weapons.

In 2018, Washington pulled out of a nuclear agreement with Iran during Trump's first term as president, while its nuclear facilities and scientists have been repeatedly targeted by Israel in recent years.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has warned that any US strikes this time would see to greater retaliation from Tehran, and lead to a regional war.