Tehran says diplomacy progressing despite heated tensions with Washington

US President Donald Trump has said he will not share his plans for dealing with Iran even with America's closest regional allies. However, even as Washington has ramped up military pressure on Tehran, both sides have indicated that diplomatic backchannels remain open.

In recent weeks, the US has dispatched what Trump has described as a "massive" and "beautiful armada" to the region, led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, in order to pressure Tehran into accepting his demands for a new nuclear deal.

Asked in an interview with Fox News on Saturday whether he had informed Persian Gulf allies about possible US military action, Trump noted that revealing details could undermine the prospect of a peaceful resolution.

"Well, we can't tell them the plan. If I told them the plan, it would be almost as bad as telling you the plan - it could be worse, actually," Trump said. "But look, the plan is that [Iran is] talking to us, and we'll see if we can do something; otherwise, we'll see what happens."

Tehran has also signalled that talks with Washington may still be possible. The head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani - who held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin the previous day - said that progress was being made toward negotiations.

"Contrary to the hype of the contrived media war, structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing," Larijani said.

President Masoud Pezeshkian has sought to strike a dual tone of warning and restraint, saying Tehran was not seeking a conflict with the United States and arguing that war would benefit neither side.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has never sought, and in no way seeks, war, and it is firmly convinced that a war would be in the interest of neither Iran, nor the United States, nor the region," Pezeshkian said.

Trump has repeatedly said he prefers a diplomatic outcome but has warned that any future attack on Iran would be "far worse" than previous strikes. Media reports cite administration sources as saying Trump is considering options ranging from strikes on Iranian security forces and nuclear sites to targeting officials, with the aim of reigniting anti-government protests.

READ MORE: Trumps armada issues warning to Tehran

Tehran has framed the unrest - which began over economic grievances in late December and escalated into deadly riots - as a foreign-backed insurrection, alleging that external agents armed rioters to provoke a harsh state response and justify American intervention.

(RT.com)