An Iranian official and a Qatari official confirmed to CBS News that Qatari mediators were in Mashad, Iran, to try to de-escalate the situation amid an intense flare-up in fighting between the U.S. and Iran.
The mediators are facilitating the indirect diplomacy to attempt to return to a truce and allow the Strait of Hormuz to reopen.
Two officials from the region told CBS News that Iranian officials will travel to Oman for talks on Saturday regarding the Strait of Hormuz and the dispute over the lanes for shipping traffic in their respective territorial waters.
Three sources familiar with the ongoing attempts to revive the truce, which lasted less than three weeks, told CBS News on Thursday that «active conversations» between the U.S. and Iran continued, although the diplomacy was indirect and mediated by Qatar.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi has been speaking with Qatar’s prime minister and his team for days, and a source familiar with the matter told CBS News he has been defending the actions of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which fired on at least three commercial vessels Tuesday in Omani territorial waters. The IRGC has also sought to charge a fee for use of the lane, which the U.S. objects to.
Qatar has been going between the U.S. and Iran as they both seek to de-escalate the fighting that erupted after Iran attempted to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz, specifically the waterway lanes in Omani and Iranian territory. Article 5 of the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding was meant to reopen the trade route, but Iran has been attempting to divert traffic through the lane controlled by Iran and away from Omani waters. The agreement was meant to last until roughly Aug. 18.
Multiple officials told CBS News that Vice President JD Vance has been working the phones, along with Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff. Kushner, who is a private citizen, is in Sun Valley, Idaho, at a media conference.
On Thursday, the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. met with Secretary of State and national security adviser Marco Rubio to discuss the path forward.
No further details were shared through official channels about the discussions.
