“We screwed up. We made a mistake. Let’s keep talking.” That, according to a U.S. official, is what Iranian representatives said when they came back to the table after ships came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz. AOL carried the account, which says Iranian officials privately told advisers to President Donald Trump that the shooting at commercial vessels was an error.
Washington had already answered the shooting by resuming attacks on Tehran. Officials said Iran now blames an “errant” sect of hardliners who want to undermine negotiations, and that Iranian officials say they want the talks to go on.
The White House wants more than a private apology. It wants Iran to acknowledge the mistake in public, and the Trump administration has called the incident a violation of the ceasefire.
Talks set for Oman
Trump has told his team to carry on with peace talks. Vice President JD Vance leads it, joined by the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Negotiations are due to take place in Oman.
In plain terms, the Saturday meeting is a test. The administration expects Iran to come out of it saying the Strait will stay open and be run as it was before the war began. One official put the alternative bluntly: “it’s not going to be a great day for them.” Another described the mood as “definitely in a wait-and-see moment.”
If hostilities continue, the officials said, the U.S. will answer with military and economic leverage. Trump is giving negotiators time to reach a deal, one official said, but not a lot of it.
Washington’s own theory
Iran’s explanation is that a rogue entity inside its system launched the attacks. The Trump administration does not buy that. It believes the ships were targeted for a different reason.
The U.S. says a southern lane of the Strait along the Omani coast would be open under the memorandum. Iran, in this telling, was caught off guard by how fast traffic moved through that lane and by how much oil and gas was in it, and that is why the ceasefire was broken.
Opening the Strait to trade is what the U.S. sees as the easiest part of the deal, an official said. If Iran does not honor it, negotiators will never reach the question of Iran’s nuclear program.
The “nuclear dust”
Officials also addressed what the president calls “nuclear dust,” meaning the remnants of Iran’s nuclear program. The U.S. would prefer to excavate it. If Iran does not act like a “normal country,” other options exist, such as keeping it buried.
Asked about reports that Israeli intelligence had uncovered plots against Trump, officials said the president does not make decisions based on fear or threats.
