Qatar has said that US-Iran negotiations, mediated by Pakistan, required more time to reach a deal, a day after President Donald Trump said he had postponed planned attacks to give the process a chance.
"We are supportive of the diplomatic effort by Pakistan that has shown seriousness in bringing parties together and finding a solution, and we do believe it needs more time," Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Trump, who had indefinitely extended the truce and made clear he wanted to exit a war that has proved to be politically damaging, said on Monday he had prepared a new military attack for the following day after Iran rejected his outlines of a deal.
But on Monday, Trump said on social media that he had suspended the attack after the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates asked him to give negotiations a chance.
"We want to protect the people of the region from being basically the main losers of any escalation in the region," al-Ansari said.
He would not say whether Qatar was optimistic or not about a deal and would not comment further on Trump's social media post.
Iranian warning
Meanwhile, Iran's army warned on Tuesday that it would "open new fronts" against the United States if it resumes attacks
"If the enemy is foolish enough to fall into the Zionist trap again and launch new aggression against our beloved Iran, we will open new fronts against it, with new equipment and new methods," said army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia, according to Iran's ISNA news agency.
Akraminia said his country had used the ceasefire as an opportunity "to strengthen its combat capabilities", without elaborating.
According to ISNA, he also reiterated that Iran maintains control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which it has closed and wants to charge ships to traverse.
"The only way for the enemy is to respect the Iranian nation and observe the legitimate rights of Iran," he said.
On Monday, Iran said it had responded to a new US proposal, adding that diplomatic exchanges were continuing despite Iranian media reports describing Washington's demands as excessive.
The day before, Iran's Fars news agency said Washington had presented a five-point list, which included a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the United States.
The US had refused to release "even 25 percent" of Iran's assets frozen abroad or pay any reparations for war damage, Fars added.
The report said the US had also made clear it would only cease hostilities when Tehran engages in formal peace negotiations.
Iran, however, has said it insists on its own demands, including the release of the frozen assets, the lifting of long-standing sanctions on the country and war reparations.
