Iran holds crisis talks in Oman as US demands Hormuz pledge

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Oman on Saturday for crisis talks over the Strait of Hormuz, as the Trump administration demanded that Tehran publicly commit to keeping the vital waterway open to commercial shipping following attacks on tankers that shattered a fragile ceasefire.nytimes+2

The high-stakes diplomacy comes after Iranian forces fired on three commercial vessels transiting the strait earlier in the week, prompting a new wave of U.S. military strikes and the revocation of a license that had allowed Iran to sell oil on international markets.bbc+1

Behind-the-Scenes Admissions

Senior U.S. officials said Friday that Iranian officials had privately told Trump advisers "they made a mistake" in shooting at commercial ships. "They came back to the table and said, 'We screwed up. We made a mistake. Let's keep talking,'" one official told CBS News.cbsnews

The Iranians attributed the attacks to an "errant" sect of hardliners trying to undermine negotiations, according to the officials. But the Trump administration offered a different explanation: Iran was caught off guard by how rapidly traffic — particularly oil and gas shipments — was moving through a southern lane along the Omani coast that Washington believed was open under the memorandum of understanding signed in June.cbsnews

The White House wants Iran to publicly acknowledge its mistake, which the administration views as a violation of the ceasefire. After Saturday's meeting, the administration expects Iran's position to be that the strait will be open and managed as it was before the conflict. "If that is not their position," one official said, "it's not going to be a great day for them."cbsnews

Sanctions and Pressure

Alongside the diplomatic push, the U.S. Treasury on Thursday designated a key financier for Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and targeted Iranian exchange houses accused of moving billions of dollars annually on behalf of sanctioned banks through layers of shell companies. The sanctions followed the reinstatement of restrictions on Iranian oil exports, which had been suspended under the June agreement.reuters+2

Fragile Diplomacy

The talks in Oman, which also involved Omani officials discussing "appropriate mechanisms" for safe passage through the strait, represent a test of whether the broader U.S.-Iran deal can survive. The memorandum of understanding, brokered by Pakistan and signed in June, had called for a 60-day window to negotiate a final agreement covering the strait, Iran's nuclear program, and an economic development package.fm+3

President Trump has directed a team led by Vice President JD Vance, Jared Kushner, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to continue negotiations — but "not a lot of time" remains, officials said.cbsnews