U.S.-Iran talks are set to continue through mediators after a week of strikes, tanker attacks and threats over the Strait of Hormuz, even as President Donald Trump says the ceasefire is “over” and Washington demands a public Iranian pledge to keep the vital waterway open. CBS reported that talks are expected to continue through mediators.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Oman on Saturday for talks expected to focus on the Strait of Hormuz, with CBS News reporting that negotiations with the U.S. are expected to continue through mediators and that no Americans will attend the Omani talks. Iranian officials traveled to Oman for talks focused on Hormuz.
Reuters reported that Washington is seeking a public Iranian commitment to free and secure transit through the strait after attacks on three commercial tankers triggered U.S. strikes on Iranian targets and Iranian retaliatory attacks against U.S.-linked sites in Gulf states. Washington is demanding a public Iranian pledge on safe transit.
U.S.-Iran Talks Move Through Oman And Qatar
The renewed U.S.-Iran talks are not a return to trust. They are damage control after Tehran tried to use the Strait of Hormuz as leverage and Washington responded with force.
CBS reported that Qatari mediators were in Mashhad, Iran, trying to de-escalate the flare-up and revive an indirect diplomatic channel. Officials told CBS that Iranian officials were expected to travel to Oman for talks on Saturday over the Strait of Hormuz and the dispute over shipping lanes in Iranian and Omani territorial waters. Qatar and Oman are central to the indirect diplomatic channel.
That detail matters. The fight is not just about whether ships can move through the strait. It is about who controls the rules, who collects leverage and whether Iran can pressure global energy markets by intimidating commercial traffic.
CBS reported that Qatar has been shuttling between Washington and Tehran as both sides try to de-escalate after Iran attempted to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz, especially shipping lanes in Omani and Iranian waters. The June memorandum of understanding was meant to reopen the trade route and last until roughly Aug. 18. The June memorandum was meant to reopen the route temporarily.
The United States cannot allow Iran to turn one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints into a toll booth. Diplomacy is worth trying, but the starting point must be freedom of navigation, not Iranian control disguised as negotiation.
Trump Says Ceasefire Is Over But Talks Continue
Trump’s position is blunt: talks may continue, but the ceasefire is finished. Reuters reported that Trump posted that Iran had asked to continue talks, that the United States agreed, and that Washington told Tehran “in no uncertain terms” that the ceasefire was over. Trump said the ceasefire was over while agreeing to continued talks.
That message is classic Trump diplomacy: pressure first, negotiations second. It tells Iran that dialogue remains available, but not under conditions where Tehran or Iranian hard-liners can fire on ships, test U.S. resolve and then ask for business as usual.
CBS reported that senior U.S. officials said Iranian officials privately told Trump advisers that the ship attacks were a mistake caused by an “errant” hard-line faction trying to undermine negotiations. One official described Iran’s message as an admission that they “screwed up” and wanted to keep talking. Iranian officials privately blamed the ship attacks on hard-liners, according to U.S. officials.
That explanation may be true, partially true or politically convenient. Either way, it does not solve the problem. A regime that cannot control its own military factions is dangerous. A regime that uses rogue actors as plausible deniability is also dangerous.
Washington should treat the distinction carefully. If Tehran genuinely lost control of hard-liners, the U.S. should demand proof and consequences. If Tehran is pretending, the U.S. should refuse to reward the tactic.
Strait Of Hormuz Remains The Central Fight
The Strait of Hormuz is the heart of the crisis because energy, shipping and military credibility all pass through the same narrow waterway. Reuters reported that the U.S. is demanding Iran publicly state it will stop attacks on ships, keep all lanes open and impose no tolls through a route that carried roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies before the war. The U.S. wants Iran to commit publicly to keeping the strait open.
CBS reported that the U.S. Navy is still encouraging commercial ships to use the southern route through the strait despite recent Iranian attacks on vessels trying to use that passage. The Joint Maritime Information Center told mariners the southern route remains available and that ships may transit without mandatory coordination. The Navy has encouraged commercial ships to continue using the southern route.
That is the right posture. If the U.S. tells shipping companies that lawful lanes remain open, it must be prepared to defend that position. Freedom of navigation cannot be a slogan. It has to be backed by naval power, air defense, intelligence and clear consequences for attacks.
CBS also reported that a review of open-source maritime tracking data found no commercial vessels publicly broadcasting locations indicating plans to transit the southern lane at one point Friday. That shows the market is not yet convinced the route is safe. Tracking data showed commercial ships were still wary of the southern lane.
When insurers, shipping companies and energy traders doubt U.S. protection, prices move and consumers pay. That is why Hormuz is not only a Middle East problem. It is a kitchen-table issue for Americans who drive, heat homes and buy goods moved through global supply chains.
Strikes Show How Fast Diplomacy Can Collapse
This week’s violence showed how fragile the ceasefire always was. CBS reported that the U.S. military said Navy and Air Force weapons hit at least 170 Iranian targets on Tuesday and Wednesday, 17 times the number struck during the previous salvo on June 26. The U.S. military said it hit at least 170 Iranian targets.
CBS also reported that U.S. Central Command said the strikes targeted Iranian military sites, including air defenses, drone and missile storage and launch sites, naval targets and coastal logistics infrastructure. CENTCOM said the strikes targeted Iranian military infrastructure.
Those are legitimate targets if Iran is attacking commercial shipping and threatening U.S. forces. The administration should keep the mission narrow: protect shipping, deter attacks and degrade assets directly tied to maritime aggression.
The danger is mission creep. The more Washington strikes, the more Tehran retaliates. The more Tehran retaliates, the louder the calls become for broader strikes. That spiral can turn a limited freedom-of-navigation mission into another open-ended Middle East conflict.
A serious America First policy should avoid both weakness and adventurism. It should punish Iranian aggression without signing the United States up for regime-change fantasies or permanent escalation.
Talks Need Leverage, Not Illusions
Diplomacy without leverage is pleading. Leverage without diplomacy is drift. The Trump administration appears to be trying to use both.
Vice President JD Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have been in contact with Qatari officials after the escalation, CBS reported. Secretary of State and national security adviser Marco Rubio also met with Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to discuss the path forward. Senior Trump administration officials have worked regional diplomatic channels.
That kind of regional coordination matters. Qatar and Oman can carry messages. Saudi Arabia and Gulf partners can pressure Tehran economically and diplomatically. The U.S. Navy can hold the line at sea. But none of those tools works if Washington sends mixed signals about its bottom line.
The bottom line should be simple. Iran must stop attacks on ships. It must stop trying to reroute traffic under coercion. It must drop any claim to unilateral control over the strait. And it must understand that attacks by “errant” factions still count as Iranian responsibility if those factions operate under Iran’s system.
At the same time, the U.S. should be willing to accept a verifiable de-escalation that keeps Hormuz open and lowers the risk to American forces. The goal is not endless punishment. The goal is American security, stable energy flows and credible deterrence.
America Must Hold The Line At Sea
AP reported that Trump and Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, traded threats as mediators tried to salvage the crumbling interim deal. That backdrop makes the talks more volatile and increases the risk that political pressure on either side could derail diplomacy. Trump and Mojtaba Khamenei traded threats as mediators worked to salvage diplomacy.
Still, the United States should not confuse noise with strategy. Threats from Tehran are not new. What matters is whether Iran stops attacking ships and whether Gulf traffic can resume under internationally acceptable terms.
A balanced policy would keep military pressure ready while giving mediators a narrow path to success. It would brief Congress, protect U.S. forces, coordinate with Gulf partners and refuse any agreement that lets Iran tax or threaten commercial passage.
The Strait of Hormuz is too important to be left to Iranian blackmail. Talks can continue, but they must continue from a position of strength. If Iran wants relief, it should start by proving that ships can move freely, safely and without paying tribute to a hostile regime.
