Iran called on U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday to force Israel to cease fire as the only way to end the four-day-old aerial war, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was on the "path to victory".
"If President Trump is genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential," Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on X.
Trump says Iran is ready to talk
(Video: The White House)
"Israel must halt its aggression, and absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue. It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu. That may pave the way for a return to diplomacy."
Trump confirmed Monday evening that he had received messages from Iran, saying: "They would like to talk, but they should have done it first." He said, "I had 60 days, and they also had 60 days, and on the 61st day I said, 'We don't have a deal. They need to reach an agreement.' And it hurts both sides, but I say - Iran is not winning this war. They should talk, and they need to talk immediately, before it's too late."
Earlier, Iran's Revolutionary Guards issued a warning to residents of Tel Aviv on Monday evening, following the evacuation announcement by the IDF spokesman in Persian to residents of Tehran. The Revolutionary Guards' announcement read: "Evacuate as quickly as possible," according to state media in Iran.
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(Photo: Haim Tzach, GPO, REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein, Iranian Leader's Press Office - Handout/Getty Images)
Sources told Reuters that Tehran had asked Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to press Trump to use his influence on Israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire. In return, Iran would show flexibility in nuclear negotiations, said the two Iranian and three regional sources.
Netanyahu told Israeli troops at an air base that Israel was on its way to achieving its two main aims: wiping out Iran's nuclear program and destroying its missiles.
"We are on the path to victory," he said. "We are telling the citizens of Tehran: ‘Evacuate’ — and we are taking action."
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Trump has consistently said that the Israeli assault could end quickly if Iran agrees to U.S. demands that it accept strict curbs to its nuclear program.
Talks between the United States and Iran, hosted by Oman, had been scheduled for Sunday but were scrapped, with Tehran saying it could not negotiate while under attack.
On Monday, Iranian lawmakers floated the idea of quitting the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, a move bound to be seen as a setback for any negotiations.