Norway a likely candidate to mediate potential Iran-US talks: Report
Local Iranian media has learned that Norway is a likely candidate to mediate potential talks between Iran and the United States after a US-Israeli bombardment campaign on Iranian soil derailed the earlier Oman-mediated talks.
Sources familiar with the matter have told the Tehran Times that both Iran and the US are willing to kickstart new negotiations. While the previous talks focused solely on Iran’s nuclear program, Tehran insists that compensation for war damages will be an integral part of any future discussions. Sources added that new, indirect negotiations, with the mediator acting as go-between, could begin as early as this month.
The previous Iran-US talks were slated to resume for a sixth round just days before Israel launched airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear, military, and civilian infrastructure on June 13. The ensuing 12-day bombing campaign killed at least 1065 Iranians, mainly civilians, including senior military officials and nuclear scientists. The US entered the war directly on June 22, deploying B2 bombers to strike three nuclear sites previously hit by Israel.
Iran's retaliation involved a large-scale missile and drone assault on the occupied territories, as well as a missile attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Washington's most important military base in West Asia. The war came to a halt on June 24 following a ceasefire proposal by Israel, which found it increasingly difficult to fend off the Iranian attacks and manage their aftermath.