Iran says diplomatic efforts ongoing via mediators amid fighting with US

An Iranian army spokesman asserts the war will continue until deterrence against further attacks has been achieved.Tehran, Iran – Iran has said it has been approached via mediators to end a new bout of fighting with the United States.Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Tehran has received “proposals” to end renewed fighting between Iran and the US. But he did not disclose details of the new offer or whether they involved a 10-day truce, as reported by US media.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Why is Iran bombing Gulf states while avoiding US naval assets and Israel?list 2 of 4Iran says Spain World Cup win brings joy to critics of US, Israellist 3 of 4What are ‘civilian’ sites in international law and where have US, Iran hit?list 4 of 4What we know about US soldiers killed in Iran war, and Iranian casualtiesend of list“Proposals have been raised through mediators and have been passed over to us,” he told reporters during a press conference in Tehran.Baghaei said that diplomatic efforts are coming in lockstep with those of armed forces after recent political divisions between hardliners and more moderate factions.He also urged regional countries not to allow the US military to use their territory to launch or facilitate attacks on Iranian soil in continuation of the Israel-war-on-Iran" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="38678" data-entity-type="event">US-Israel war on Iran that began on February 28.War re-eruptsThis comes after a recent flare-up between Tehran and Washington, with bridges, roads, and military sites targeted in Iran.Iran has carried out its own attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and other Arab countries, including on civilian infrastructure, claiming to target US forces in these countries.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Washington “always remains open to diplomatic solutions”. But he added that Iran’s missile and drone strikes, which have killed three American service members over the past week, are an impediment to diplomacy.Rubio also claimed that a “split” has emerged among Iranian officials, with one faction wanting to continue war against the US and others seeking negotiations.Smoke rises from an explosion at an unknown location, during what US Central Command (CENTCOM) says are strikes on Iran, in this still image taken from a handout video [US Central Command/Handout via Reuters]Iran’s chief negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, hit back at Rubio on Monday, saying that despite the US claiming it seeks an end to the fighting, it continues to import military equipment to the region.