Iran has told regional intermediaries that any ceasefire would require the United States to guarantee that neither it nor Israel will strike the country in the future.
Late Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the only way to end the war is "recognizing Iran's legitimate rights, payment of reparations, and firm [international] guarantees against future aggression," Bloomberg reported.
He said he conveyed that message to the "leaders of Russia and Pakistan."
Iran is reportedly concerned that Israel will strike again after the current war ends, according to regional officials, who spoke with Bloomberg on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
"It's unclear if the U.S. is willing to give Iran such a pledge and if it would be able to insist on Israel doing the same," the sources said. "The back-channels are being facilitated by European and Middle Eastern countries."
A senior White House official commented that the campaign against Iran continues unabated, and cited President Donald Trump as saying that Iran's potential new leaders have indicated they want to talk and eventually will talk.
The war between the U.S.-Israel alliance and Iran, which began Feb. 28, shows little sign of imminent de-escalation.
Trump said this week the conflict could end soon because Iran's military has been degraded to a large extent.
Still, in public, all three sides say they are prepared to continue fighting for at least several more weeks.
Iran continues to fire missiles and drones toward Israel and Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain.
Iranian strikes on ships have effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply and natural gas flows, causing turmoil in energy markets.
Saudi Arabia intensified its direct engagement with Iran last week in a bid to contain the conflict, Bloomberg reported.
Other Gulf states, whose economies and financial markets have been affected by the war, are also trying to communicate with Iran and the U.S., the officials said.
Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq spoke with Pezeshkian on Wednesday, the first such call between the two leaders since the conflict erupted.
The sultan condemned Iran's attacks on Oman, according to Omani state media, which disclosed few other details. The call came after drones struck fuel tanks at Salalah port in southern Oman.
The U.S. and Israel have sent mixed messages about their war aims. Initially, both implied they wanted regime change in Iran.
However, despite Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei being killed in the opening strikes, Iran has remained intact and demonstrated military resilience and underscored its defiance by selecting Khamenei's hardline son, Mojtaba, as the country's new supreme leader.
U.S. and Israeli officials have since suggested they could accept objectives short of overthrowing the Islamic Republic, including destroying Iran's navy and missile program.
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