Qatar and Pakistan are leading diplomatic efforts to end the eight-month war between the United States and Iran, which began with US-Israeli strikes in late February. Tehran says it could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if Washington meets its conditions: an end to the fighting on every front, release of frozen Iranian assets, an end to oil sanctions and a lifting of the US blockade of Iranian ports.
The two sides give different accounts of where matters stand. A Qatari foreign ministry official said the negotiations had made progress, and President Donald Trump spoke of "positive momentum", but Iran's top security official, Mohsen Rezaei, said no negotiations are under way. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that the economic campaign against Iran means there is no need for major combat operations for now, and on Thursday Trump said the US does not need "a deal with Iran". Ships were still being attacked in and around the strait as of Tuesday, according to The Hindu.
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Qatar and Pakistan are leading mediation and Qatar reports progress, but Iran's security chief says no talks are under way and Trump said on Thursday the US does not need a deal.
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