A former US ambassador to Nato - the North Atlantic Treaty Organization - tells the BBC that the US is likely communicating with Iran through private channels on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
"We do know that the US has been communicating with Iran privately through channels that are established for that very purpose," says Ivo Daalder, who was US ambassador to Nato from 2009 to 2013.
"And Iran, no doubt, knows what the US is prepared to do. It is just not something that the president at this point is willing to say publicly, nor probably should," told BBC's Newsday programme.
Earlier this week the White House's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the US has held talks with Iran to warn the country against intervening in the conflict.
There are fears that Iran's involvement could widen the conflict into the broader Middle East region. Iranian officials reportedly celebrated Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 Oct, while the Iran-funded Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon has been exchanging fire with Israeli military in recent days.
Source:BBC
