According to a person familiar with the latest debates, senior US and Iranian officials had their first such conversations through brokers in Oman this past week.
The talks were the first since Iran targeted Israel with numerous missiles and drones in return last month.
Abram Paley, the deputy special envoy for Iran, and Brett McGurk, the senior White House official on West Asia plans, were present for discussions in Oman.
The idea was to attempt to persuade Iran, which arms and trains militias all throughout West Asia, to take steps to rein in its allies.
Fears of a wider battle have increased since many militias in Iraq and Syria, backed by Iran, have increased their attacks on US soldiers since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The intention was to exert pressure on Iran, which provides training and arms to militias all over West Asia, to take action to restrain its allies.
Fears of a wider battle have increased since many militias in Iraq and Syria, backed by Iran, have increased their attacks on US soldiers since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Israeli military and the most potent group in the region, Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon, have been exchanging gunfire in both northern Israel and southern Lebanon.
But according to US intelligence officials, neither Iran nor Hezbollah want to fight a larger conflict. Since 1979, the US and Iran have not maintained diplomatic ties, and communication between the two countries frequently takes place through back channels and middlemen.
The negotiations in Oman followed the same pattern as those in January, with Omani officials moving between the two rooms as the Americans and Iranians took turns sitting in separate rooms.