Iran on Wednesday warned of a devastating economic impact from any new Israeli-led attack, as the votes were counted in an Israeli election that could determine the future of the regional war.
Under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the two countries have directly fought a war for the first time in their history after decades of enmity.
Tuesday's pivotal election gave Israelis a chance to offer a verdict on Netanyahu's right-wing government, amid mounting US and Israeli threats of renewed attacks against Iran following their launch of the war in February.
"Devastating impact on international markets of any Israel-instigated military misadventure in Arabian Gulf region remains major concern for both gas suppliers and consumers," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X, referring to recent discussions at the Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Moscow.
Since the war erupted, it has severely disrupted energy shipments from Gulf countries after Iran began blockading the Strait of Hormuz, through which around a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas used to travel.
Iran has restricted passage and regularly attacks vessels that attempt to cross without its authorisation.
In retaliation, the United States has been maintaining a naval blockade of Iranian ports, seeking to squeeze the country's economy.
Meanwhile, a senior official said Qatari mediators have presented Tehran with a new draft deal to end the war with the US and Israel, but another senior Iranian official said Doha had only put forward unacceptable ideas that did not amount to an offer.
The official briefed on the negotiations, who is not from Iran, said a new draft peace proposal for the eight-month-old conflict was presented on Sunday and was being considered by Tehran, with a response expected by the end of the week.
Qatar, along with Pakistan, has led mediation to end the war, which has disrupted global shipping and oil supplies.
The proposal presented by Qatar sets a seven-day timeline addressing both Tehran's and Washington's concerns, laying out daily confidence-building steps that each side must take, the official briefed on the negotiations said. The timeline could begin early next week and several countries would act as guarantors of the deal, the official added.
Shortly afterwards, a senior Iranian official involved in the talks said Qatar had presented only "unacceptable ideas and not an offer", and that Tehran's policy on showing no flexibility over the nuclear issue remained unchanged. — Agencies
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
