Qatar has said mediation efforts involving regional governments are continuing in an attempt to prevent further escalation between the United States and Iran, but there are no direct talks currently scheduled between Washington and Tehran.
Majed al-Ansari, spokesman for Qatar’s foreign ministry, told reporters in Doha that officials from Qatar, Pakistan and Oman were working towards a short-term arrangement that could help reopen diplomatic channels. He said the immediate focus was on avoiding further confrontation, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and creating conditions for renewed negotiations.
The comments came amid conflicting accounts from Washington and Tehran over whether talks are taking place. US President Donald Trump has said negotiations with Iran were under way or expected imminently, while Iran’s foreign ministry has denied that any direct engagement with the United States is planned.
Iran has said its current discussions are with Oman and are focused on arrangements to restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important maritime routes. The waterway, which links the Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the wider Indian Ocean, is normally used for about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments.
The strait has effectively been closed since the start of the US and Israel’s war with Iran in late February, following Iranian attacks on vessels and a US blockade of Iranian ports, according to the source material. The disruption has raised concern among governments, energy markets and shipping companies because of the route’s central role in global fuel supplies.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there had been progress in the discussions involving Oman, but added that no final agreement had been reached. Speaking in Washington, he said the United States hoped an arrangement could be concluded soon. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent separately told CNBC that there could be “a deal today or tomorrow”.
Iranian officials have presented a more limited account of the diplomacy. Esmail Baqai, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, said Tehran was not holding direct talks with Washington and had no plan to send or receive a delegation. He said Iran was engaged in what he described as constructive negotiations with Oman on a way to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Baqai also indicated that an agreement on shipping arrangements would not by itself be enough to fully reopen the route. He suggested Iran would continue to restrict vessels as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remained in place, highlighting the broader dispute that has complicated efforts to restore maritime traffic.
Trump later accused Iran’s leadership of being “unbelievably duplicitous” in a post on Truth Social. He said Iranian officials had requested a meeting and that further talks were expected in the “immediate future”. Iran has not confirmed that account.
At his news conference in Doha, Ansari said Qatar could confirm that efforts by Qatar, Pakistan and Oman were continuing “with all the parties” and were at what he called progressive stages. He said Qatar was co-ordinating closely with Oman to facilitate exchanges between the sides, including ideas and draft proposals.
However, Ansari said there was not “anything on the books” regarding direct talks between the United States and Iran. A senior Pakistani security official also told Reuters that “a lot is happening in the background” and that Pakistan was speaking to both sides.
The maritime security situation remains tense. Overnight, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said a cargo vessel had been struck by an “unknown projectile” in the Gulf waterway. Maritime risk management firm Vanguard reported that the engine room of the Liberia-flagged Minoan Pioneer was hit and that one sailor was missing.
No official details have been released by Iran, Oman or the mediating governments about the potential terms of any new arrangement for the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials told the New York Times that ships entering the Gulf would use a route controlled by Iran near its coast, while outbound vessels would use a route nearer Oman. They also reportedly said the arrangement would include a service fee covering environmental, security and staffing costs.
A US official disputed that account to the newspaper, saying any temporary shipping routes would not require Iranian approval and would not involve tolls. The disagreement underlines the sensitivity of any arrangement governing passage through the strait, where questions of navigation, security control and economic cost carry significant international consequences.
The current diplomatic push follows an earlier preliminary agreement signed by the United States and Iran in mid-June to end their conflict and reopen the waterway. That arrangement collapsed within weeks amid disagreement over control of the strait and renewed Iranian attacks, which were followed by an escalating exchange of strikes.
Trump said on Saturday that he had called off what he described as a “massive attack” by US and Israeli forces on Iran after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar urged restraint to give mediators more time. He said those efforts were aimed at a new agreement on the Strait of Hormuz and what he called the denuclearisation of Iran.
For now, regional mediators appear to be concentrating on a limited maritime understanding rather than a wider political settlement. Qatar’s latest comments suggest diplomacy is still active, but the absence of scheduled direct US-Iran talks and the continuing dispute over port blockades mean any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remains dependent on further negotiations.
