More and more governments are offering to mediate an end to Israel's war on Iran, but their efforts may not be relevant. There are no talks between the United States and Iran that are known of, and U.S. President Donald Trump said he demanded "unconditional surrender" of the Iranians. Israel, meanwhile, is continuing its aerial campaign and insists it still has many targets and objectives to achieve.
Israel would not be a party to any future negotiations and regards the effort to mediate as mostly hot air. The Iranians insist they are prepared to talk about an end to the war, but only if Israel stops attacking Iran. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei declared on Wednesday that his country will never surrender.
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US President Donald Trump talks to reporters on board Air Force One
(Photo: Kevin Lamarque / Reuters)
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said the Iranian regime fails to understand the resilience of the Israeli people and that it supports the attacks on Iran. "We are determined to continue," he told foreign ambassadors on Wednesday in Bat Yam, where at least eight people were killed when an Iranian ballistic missile hit a residential block. "The operation will continue until we achieve our objectives."
But behind the scenes, some countries are considered possible mediators in talks between the United States and Iran, while Israel would be kept away.
Oman
The sultanate is perhaps the most natural option if negotiations begin. It had hosted U.S.-Iran talks on a nuclear deal and was mediating between the two nations, as long as two years ago, during the Biden administration, in talks that did not yield any results.
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Iran's Foreign Minsiter Abbas Araghchi and his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi
(Photo: Reuters)
The leaders in Oman were mentioned in efforts to reach a ceasefire in Iran and to resume nuclear negotiations earlier this week, but the Iranians rejected negotiation under fire. Israel has maintained covert relations with Oman for years until Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a historic visit to the sultanate in 2018.
Qatar
The Gulf nation that is already central to mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza could attempt to mediate in the Israel-Iran conflict as well. Tehran denied reports earlier in the week that it had approached Qatar and Oman and asked for their help in establishing talks with the United States and was even considering a return to nuclear talks. Their denial notwithstanding, this position can change quickly.
Qatar is considered an experienced mediator, even by Israel, despite the ongoing Qatargate affair, a criminal investigation into alleged ties between close Netanyahu aides and the Qatari government.
Switzerland
The only Western European nation considered as a possible mediator in talks to end the Israel-Iran conflict is Switzerland, after its embassy in Tehran has represented American interests there since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Iran's envoy to Bern said in an interview last year that Switzerland has proven to be reliable and has relayed messages accurately. "Trust and confidence were important components of our bilateral relations over the years."
Russia
Kremlin spokesperson Dimitry Peskov said on Monday that Moscow is prepared to fill a mediating role in ending the war and that it has not removed its offer to store enriched Iranian uranium on its soil.
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On Tuesday, Russia's deputy defense minister warned that the United States could destabilize the region even by simply considering an involvement in the fighting, but added that Russia was in contact with both Israel and Iran
Saudi Arabia
There is little chance that the Saudis will have a mediating role, but two sources said Iran reached out to Riyadh as well as to Qatar and Oman, requesting that the Saudis ask Trump to pressure Israel to accept an immediate ceasefire.
The Sunni nation still regards Shiite Iran as an adversary and is not shedding any tears over the suffering of the mullah regime. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were only renewed in 2023 after the crippling 2019 attack on Saudi oil installations.
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Smoke rises over the Aramco facility in Saudi Arabia after an Iranian drone strike
(Photo: Reuters)
Turkey
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke this week with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian and said Ankara was prepared to mediate a ceasefire and the resumption of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks, but Turkey would struggle to be an honest broker because of its strained relations with Israel.
On Wednesday, Erdogan said Netanyahu had surpassed Hitler in his war crimes and that Iran was defending itself against "insane" and "illegal" Israeli attacks. Iran's self-defense was "legal and legitimate," he said.