WASHINGTON, May 18. /TASS/. The US and Iran held ‘indirect talks’ in Oman this week on preventing the escalation of tensions in the Middle East, the Axios news outlet reported, citing sources.

According to it, National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk and Acting US Special Envoy for Iran Abram Paley took part in the consultations from the US side. It is not known who participated in the consultations from the Iranian side, the news outlet added. According to it, the consultations were devoted to discussing the possible "consequences of Iran and its proxies" in the region, as well as "US concerns about Tehran's nuclear program."

The Axios news outlet pointed out that such consultations were held for the first time since January 2024, when similar talks were held in Oman. According to it, the indirect US-Iran talks in Oman took place "more than a month" after Tehran launched a massive missile and drone attack on Israel on April 13.

On that day, Iran launched drones and missiles toward Israel in response to what it called "repeated crimes" from Tel Aviv, including the attack on the consular office of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus ascribed to Israel. Tehran’s state-run media outlets said that military facilities in Israel were targeted. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed it intercepted 99% of the nearly 350 projectiles launched at Israel with minor damage caused to Nevatim airbase. Tehran assured that it was not planning any further action after the April 13 strike, but Israeli authorities said that they were preparing to retaliate the attack.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 240 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians before the crisis, and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes have also been reported on the West Bank. According to the latest figures from the Gaza Health Ministry, the Israeli military operation has brought the death toll in the enclave to over 34,900, with more than 78,500 injured.