WASHINGTON: The United States and Iran are engaged in diplomatic contacts “at every level”, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said on Sunday, as President Donald Trump wanted to pursue diplomacy with Tehran to end the conflict.
Speaking to NBC News’ Meet the Press, Waltz said discussions between Washington and Tehran were continuing despite internal divisions within the Iranian leadership. He stressed that the US military remained prepared for further action if required.
“The president is keeping all options on the table,” says @USAmbUN on Iran.
“Talks are ongoing. They’re happening at every level… what we are constantly seeing though, is on the Iranian regime’s side, they are divided, there is internal fighting…” pic.twitter.com/vfyKKdAsAm
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 26, 2026
His remarks came as regional tensions appeared to ease following nearly two weeks of sustained US military operations against Iran and intensified mediation efforts by Pakistan and Qatar to revive diplomacy between the two countries.
Waltz said Trump had not ruled out further military action despite the current pause in strikes.
“The president is keeping all options on the table,” Waltz said.
Asked whether Trump had decided against escalating military operations, Waltz replied: “I wouldn’t go that far at all.” He said the president was giving diplomacy “some space” while negotiations continued.
“What the president is doing right now, as we’ve seen all along, is giving some talks some space,” Waltz said, adding that discussions were taking place “on every level”, including technical-level talks as well as government-to-government contacts.
At the same time, he warned that Tehran should take Trump’s position seriously.
“The US military is locked and loaded. In fact, more assets have gone into the region,” Waltz said, adding that additional military resources had been deployed to target those who had “illegally struck civilian shipping”.
Waltz’s comments followed reports that Pentagon officials had privately expressed concerns about replenishing munitions, although the Pentagon has publicly dismissed suggestions that shortages influenced military planning, The Washington Post reported.
Pause in strikes raises hopes for renewed diplomacy
US, Iran ready to resume peace talks
The US and Iran have submitted their responses to a joint proposal by mediators Pakistan and Qatar to resume peace talks to end months of conflict.
Washington and Tehran had responded to the Qatari-Pakistani proposal to restart talks under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) framework, Al Arabiya reported on Sunday, citing sources.
Meanwhile, sources, cited by Anadolu Agency, said that the US Iran had communicated their willingness to pursue dialogue and diplomacy to end the renewed hostilities and return to negotiations.
The reported diplomatic progress came after US President Donald Trump ordered a pause in military strikes against Iran following nearly two weeks of consecutive attacks, while Tehran also announced it had suspended attacks after no new US strikes occurred for two nights.
The Islamabad MoU, brokered by Pakistan, was signed in June to end hostilities between the two countries and pave the way for a lasting peace agreement to permanently end the conflict.
The Islamabad MoU was signed on June 18 by US President Donald Trump, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, following Islamabad brokered a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
Under the Islamabad MoU, the US and Iran committed to halt military operations, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, and negotiate a comprehensive agreement covering Iran’s nuclear programme, US sanctions, and a permanent ceasefire within 60 days.
Pakistan, Qatar intensify mediation
Sources, cited by Anadolu, said that Pakistan and Qatar had intensified exchanges of messages between Washington and Tehran after receiving their responses to the joint de-escalation proposal.
Earlier this week, Pakistan and Qatar proposed that both countries return to their pre-July 9 positions as an initial step towards reviving stalled negotiations aimed at permanently ending the conflict, Anadolu reported, citing official sources.
Although the sources did not disclose details of the responses, they said both sides had expressed support for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the conflict.
The current pause in military operations had strengthened hopes that negotiations could resume after being derailed by fighting around the Strait of Hormuz and subsequent regional escalation, sources, cited by Anadolu, said.
A source, cited by Al Arabiya, said that Iran had not withdrawn from negotiations but had merely suspended them while remaining prepared to continue dialogue in accordance with the US-Iran Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
Trump says diplomacy offers better path
The diplomatic developments followed President Trump’s decision to halt further strikes against Iran.
According to Axios, Trump declined on Friday to approve a proposed military operation after receiving another strike plan from Pentagon officials, instructing the military not to launch fresh attacks.
The report said Trump had approved strike plans daily for 13 consecutive days before deciding to pause the campaign.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Saturday, Trump said he still retained the option of continuing or escalating military action but believed diplomacy offered a better path.
“We’re talking to [the Iranians] right now. I think they’re getting more and more serious as the days go by. We’re locked and loaded and ready to go, but we’re talking to them,” Trump said.
Axios reported that the president believed the military campaign had achieved as much as it reasonably could at this stage.
CNN, quoting an unidentified Pentagon source, separately reported that US operations against Iran were “on hold”, despite Trump’s warning on Friday that Washington retained the option of launching strikes “at a much higher level”.
The New York Times reported, citing two people briefed on the matter, that proposals for further escalation had also been shelved partly because of concerns over diminishing supplies of Patriot interceptor missiles and other defensive munitions.
According to CNN, Vice President JD Vance and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine expressed concerns during a White House meeting on Friday about the potential consequences of expanding the conflict.
CNN reported that Caine told Trump that available military options remained viable but warned of their broader implications.
Iran suspends operations
Iran announced on Sunday that it had halted attacks against countries in the Middle East after the United States suspended strikes over the previous two nights.
Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said the US attacks had continued until two nights earlier before stopping.
“Since our strategy has essentially been retaliatory, we have also halted our retaliatory operations,” Akraminia said as quoted by Iranian media.
However, Iran’s army warned that the conflict would widen if Washington resumed military operations.
Separately, Iran said it had made progress in talks with Oman on future management of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important shipping lanes.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said senior Iranian and Omani officials held several rounds of discussions in Tehran on Friday and Saturday, led by the two countries’ deputy foreign ministers.
According to Baqaei, the talks focused on developing common principles and practical mechanisms to ensure safe commercial navigation while protecting the sovereign rights of both countries.
He described the discussions as “useful” and said technical and political consultations would continue.
The Strait of Hormuz, bordered by Iran and Oman, carries a substantial proportion of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports and remains critical to international energy markets.
