Qatar says US-Iran talks continue as Tehran prepares for potential 'fourth war'

Diplomatic contacts and exchanges of messages between Washington and Tehran were continuing through mediation channels despite rising tensions in the Middle East, Qatar said on Tuesday, as Iranian officials said that the country was preparing for a potential "fourth war."

Ibrahim bin Sultan Al-Hashmi, director of the media and communications department at Qatar's Foreign Ministry, made the remarks at a weekly press briefing, saying both sides remained engaged in diplomacy.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said during a meeting with Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir on Monday that Tehran remained willing to engage in dialogue, but Washington must first remove its threats and sanctions.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, also met with Munir and said Iran would not enter negotiations until the United States took steps to rebuild trust by meeting Tehran's conditions. He stressed that Iran's enriched nuclear materials would remain in the country, describing them as a valuable national asset to be used domestically.

Washington and Tehran remain deeply divided over Iran's nuclear program, with previous rounds of negotiations failing to resolve key differences. As the United States and Israel continue to ratchet up warnings against Iran, concerns are mounting over the risk of renewed military confrontation.

Israel warns to overthrow Iranian government

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed the military and relevant government agencies to work toward the overthrow of the Iranian government, according to Israeli media reports on Monday.

Netanyahu also said on social media that US President Donald Trump had expressed support for his participation in Israel's parliamentary elections. Urging voters to back his Likud party, Netanyahu said Israel and the United States would work together to eliminate what he described as the threat from Iran.

Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced visit to Israel on Monday and met with Netanyahu. The visit came amid reports that Washington and Tel Aviv were discussing the possibility of resuming large-scale military operations against Iran. Neither the US Department of Defense nor the Israeli Embassy in Washington had commented on the reports.

Iranian Defense Minister Mehrdad Aharaki said on Monday that Iran was preparing for a potential fourth war. Speaking at a public session of parliament, he said the country's capabilities had been further developed and strengthened, warning that any new miscalculation by its adversaries would prompt a large-scale Iranian response that would "shock" them.

Three ships explode in Strait of Hormuz

Tensions have also intensified around the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway vital to global energy supplies and regional connectivity.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said on Tuesday that a supertanker "violating" maritime rules exploded and caught fire earlier in the day after striking a naval mine south of the strait. It was the third tanker reported to have caught fire after hitting mines in the waterway.

The IRGC Navy warned that vessels using "unauthorized routes" would bear responsibility for their actions, adding that any disregard for the waterway's security would be met with a "decisive" response.

Iran has also raised concerns over undersea cables running through the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters. According to the website Global Undersea Cable Map, several major cable routes converge in the area.

These cables are critical to Gulf countries, which have invested heavily in digital finance and data centers. Any disruption could affect digital payments, banking systems, cloud computing and government communications.

Meanwhile, data released by the US Department of Energy on Monday showed that the country's Strategic Petroleum Reserve had fallen to 282.7 million barrels, its lowest level in 44 years.

Mounting risks of renewed military actions

Li Zixin, a Middle East expert at the China Institute of International Studies, said Israel's statements and Washington's backing appeared to be driven largely by political considerations in the short term as both countries are embracing elections. Nevertheless, he said, the rhetoric marked a clear escalation and the risk of renewed US-Israeli military action against Iran was increasing.

If fighting resumes, the consequences could quickly spread beyond the immediate parties, Li warned. Iran would likely retaliate against Israeli territory, US military bases in the Middle East and energy infrastructure across the Gulf, further undermining the region's security framework.

"If the United States and Israel make regime change in Iran a war objective, the conflict will also lose a diplomatic off-ramp," Li said, warning that regional countries could be forced to take sides, deepening geopolitical divisions.

An escalation could also push oil prices above previous highs, delivering another shock to a global economy already grappling with high inflation, he said. Heightened risk aversion could disrupt financial markets, put further pressure on risk assets and trigger sharp market volatility.