U.S. sent Iran a message via mediators as Trump says deal is possible: Iranian official

Iran has received a connection from the United States done mediators arsenic a imaginable precursor to talks betwixt the 2 warring countries, a elder Iranian Foreign Ministry authoritative told CBS News connected Monday, aft President Trump suggested a woody is possible.

The Iranian authoritative said "we received points from the U.S. done mediators and they are being reviewed."

Earlier Monday, Mr. Trump announced connected societal media that the U.S. and Iran had "very bully and productive conversations regarding a implicit and full solution of our hostilities" successful caller days. He aboriginal told reporters the 2 sides had astir 15 points of statement and Iranian officials had expressed that "they privation peace," predicting: "I deliberation there's a precise bully accidental we're going to extremity up successful a deal."

The president besides backed disconnected an ultimatum issued implicit the play for Iran to either reopen the Strait of Hormuz — a cardinal lipid manufacture chokepoint — oregon look strikes connected its powerfulness plants. He said the U.S. subject would clasp disconnected connected bombing Iran's vigor infrastructure for 5 days, "subject to the occurrence of the ongoing meetings and discussions."

Iran's Foreign Ministry initially denied that talks were taking place. But Mr. Trump's comments buoyed hopes that the 23-day-long struggle could beryllium nearing a resolution. The planetary lipid terms benchmark, Brent Crude, plunged 10% connected the quality Monday, and the S&P 500 rallied 1.15%.

Iran and the U.S. bash not person ceremonial diplomatic relations and person historically communicated with each different indirectly, with different countries successful the portion serving arsenic mediators. Pakistan has sought to presumption itself arsenic a imaginable mediator, CBS News reported earlier Monday. Oman has besides often served arsenic a mediator betwixt the 2 countries, astir precocious brokering respective rounds of atomic talks earlier this year.

Mr. Trump told reporters connected Monday that the U.S. was communicating with a "top person" successful Iran, but not the caller ultimate leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. He declined to sanction the idiosyncratic "because I don't privation him to beryllium killed."

The contours of immoderate imaginable woody are not clear. The president told reporters Monday that Iran had "agreed they volition not person a atomic weapon," which was 1 of the warfare aims that helium laid retired astatine the commencement of the conflict, on with degrading Iran's accepted military. 

Iran has agelong denied immoderate involvement successful gathering a atomic weapon. But the 2 sides were incapable to scope a woody implicit Iran's atomic programme earlier this year, with Mr. Trump pushing for Iran to springiness up each uranium enrichment — a request that Iran has agelong rejected.

It's besides unclear whether Israel would beryllium portion of immoderate imaginable U.S.-Iran deal. The U.S. and Israel began striking Iran jointly successful precocious February, but the 2 allies person occasionally disagreed connected however extensively to people the country, with Mr. Trump saying past week that helium disapproved of Israeli strikes connected a large Iranian earthy state field. 

CBS News has reached retired to the White House for comment.