Qatar has been in talks with the US and Iran to de-escalate the current crisis, according to a Friday New York Times report citing two anonymous officials familiar with the matter.
Iranian armed forces launched attacks on US military infrastructure in Gulf states on Thursday following US strikes on Iran’s southern coastal and eastern provinces, further eroding a three-week-old ceasefire.
Iranian media later reported multiple explosions across southern Iran, including Bushehr, where one of the country’s nuclear plants is located, along with Konarak, Choghadak and Bandar Abbas.
Attacks on Qatari and Saudi shipping vessels earlier this week upended the ceasefire, with US President Donald Trump declaring the truce “over.”
Sources revealed to Reuters later on Friday that Qatari negotiators were in Iran to meet Iranian officials and create conditions for broader negotiations to continue.
US Central Command said on Wednesday its forces had struck approximately 90 Iranian military targets, including air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, and missile and drone storage sites.
The US military said its strikes were aimed at keeping the strait open after it accused Iranian forces of attacking three tankers in the area.
“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.