Iran's deputy parliament speaker Ali Nikzad has warned of the possibility of further US military action against Iran, while arguing that direct confrontation would prove too costly for Washington.

Nikzad said the United States and its allies were likely to rely on economic siege, proxy warfare, and diplomatic and media pressure, given the high costs of direct conflict with the US continuing its blockade of Iranian tankers out of the Persian Gulf on April 28.

Each option carried internal contradictions, he said. Economic blockade risked severe regional reactions, new coalitions against Washington and an intensification of resistance inside Iran. Proxy warfare could reach a stalemate and end up targeting US bases and regional allies. Diplomatic and media pressure was likely to backfire given Iran's standing among segments of global opinion.

Limited and targeted escalation remained possible, including expanded cyberattacks, strikes on critical infrastructure or military pressure at sensitive points. Washington would pursue such options with caution, given the risk of triggering renewed open conflict with unpredictable consequences, he said.

A pivot to coerced diplomacy was possible if the costs of the current situation became intolerable for all sides, particularly the United States. Iran would likely focus on preserving its gains and securing guarantees against further aggression, while the US would seek to address its security concerns through negotiation.

Nikzad cast doubt on US reliability as a negotiating partner, saying Iran's lived experience with Washington pointed to a record of broken promises. The current US president was attempting to engineer his own position through fake news and fabrications, he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in St Petersburg on April 27, the first visit by a senior Iranian official to Russia since the outbreak of the US-Iran war on February 28, according to details released by the Kremlin. 

The meeting took place at the Presidential Library and lasted around two hours, with most of the discussion held behind closed doors in what is understood to be a back-channel meeting between US President Donald Trump and Putin 

Lebanese broadcaster Al Mayadeen reported on April 27 that Iran had proposed a three-stage negotiating framework to Washington through mediators (Russia, Oman, and Pakistan), beginning with the end of the conflict, followed by Oman-mediated talks on the Strait of Hormuz, and concluding with discussion of Iran's nuclear programme.