Mediators have achieved progress in getting the United States and Iran back to negotiations, according to regional officials who spoke on Monday. The diplomatic push follows a three-day pause in attacks from both sides, bringing a brief respite after roughly two weeks of sustained bombardments that raised widespread fears of a return to all-out war, as reported by Apnews coverage.
Mediators Report Progress as U.S. and Iran Pause Attacks
Two regional officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door talks, stated that mediators led by Qatar and Pakistan are working to bridge the gap between Washington and Tehran. The objective is to return to an interim ceasefire deal that collapsed following earlier exchanges of fire. One of the regional officials described the progress made in the mediation efforts as “significant,” noting that mediators were working with Iran and Oman on a mechanism for managing vessel transit through the Strait of Hormuz, which served as the flashpoint for the latest round of strikes and counterstrikes.
Sticking Points Over Shipping and the Strait of Hormuz
The escalation that triggered the recent bombardments began when Iran fired at ships attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global oil shipments. In response, the U.S. targeted Iranian coastal areas and infrastructure during a nearly two-week escalation. Tehran countered with missile and drone attacks on countries hosting U.S. troops, resulting in the deaths of at least three service members at a base in Jordan and one in Iraq.
Following the collapse of the mid-June interim deal and its accompanying memorandum of understanding, Washington revoked a waiver allowing the sale of Iranian oil and reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the U.S. military reported that its reimposed naval blockade continued, with 17 commercial ships redirected, two disabled, and two boarded to ensure compliance.
Disagreements over the strategic waterway remain a major obstacle. Tehran wants vessels to pass through a designated shipping lane closer to its shores and insists on a mandatory toll for ships, while Muscat had proposed a voluntary toll mechanism. Officials noted that Iran and Oman talked on Friday and Saturday regarding traffic management, though the two countries remain far apart on the final structure of the arrangement.
Lingering Tensions and Official Responses
Despite the three-day pause in direct U.S. and Iranian attacks, scattered incidents across the region underscored ongoing fragility. Saudi Arabia reported shooting down drones fired by Iran-backed militias in Iraq targeting its petroleum facilities, while Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels separately claimed to have attacked Saudi oil facilities. Additionally, Jordan reported shooting down two drones without specifying their origin, and two drone attacks targeted a Kurdish Iranian dissident group in Iraq on Monday.
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that Iran had asked for more discussions, stating, We’re having good talks, so we’ll see what happens.
Trump added, I think there’s a good chance that something could happen. And if it does, good. If it doesn’t, we go back to doing what we were doing two days ago.
Conversely, Iran downplayed the prospect of formal peace talks. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, stated during a Monday news conference in Tehran that mediators may convey messages to us from the American side,
but emphasized that there were no direct negotiations underway.