Direct contact between senior officials from the United States and Iran has broken down, according to reports, as tension between the two countries rises.

Communications between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and US Special Envoy Steve Wittkopf have been suspended, a senior Iranian official told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday.

The report came amid President Donald Trump’s threats to intervene as Iran clamps down on protests. Tehran has vowed that it would retaliate against US military bases in the region should it be attacked.

The US, alongside European allies, had been seeking over the past year to revive a diplomatic push regarding Iran’s nuclear programme. However, the Iranian official suggested that the raised tension has wiped out any possibility of progress.

The US threats undermine diplomatic efforts, he said, adding that any potential meetings between the two officials to find a diplomatic solution to the decades-long nuclear dispute have been cancelled.

He also said that Tehran had asked US allies in the region to “prevent Washington from attacking”.

More to come…