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| Stop Iran & USA meeting |
Senior US officials revealed that Iranian officials told President Donald Trump's advisers that they "made a mistake" by firing on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and expressed their desire to continue the dialogue.
According to officials, the White House wants the Iranian regime to publicly acknowledge its mistake, which the Trump administration considers a violation of the ceasefire. One official indicated that the Iranians responded, "We made a mistake. We erred. Let's continue talking."
President Trump directed his negotiating team, led by Vice President J.D. Vance, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, Special Envoy Steve Wittkopf, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to continue the negotiations scheduled for Saturday in Oman. Officials emphasized that the United States would respond with military and economic leverage if Iran continued to engage in hostile actions.
Following Saturday's meeting, the administration expects Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow it to operate as it did before the conflict began. If that is not their position, one official said, "It won't be a great day for them."
According to US officials, the Iranians told the United States that the attacks on the ships were initiated by a "rogue element" within their regime seeking to undermine the agreement. However, the Trump administration maintained that the ships were targeted for another reason: the United States believed the southern shipping lane in the Strait of Hormuz, located along the Omani coast, would remain open under the memorandum, but Iran was surprised by the speed and volume of oil and gas passing through the southern lane, prompting it to back down.
One official noted that President Trump is giving U.S. negotiators space and time to finalize the deal, "but not too much time." Regarding what the president refers to as "nuclear dust" (the remnants of Iran's nuclear program), officials said the United States would prefer to extract it, but if Iran refuses to act like a "normal nation," other options exist, such as leaving it buried.
Another official warned that if Iran is unable to fulfill what the United States considers the "easiest part" of the agreement (opening the Strait of Hormuz to trade), negotiators will never be able to address the more complex issue of Iran's nuclear program. Officials also declined to comment on reports that Israeli intelligence had uncovered plots against President Trump, but stressed that the president "does not make decisions based on fear or threats."
