More than eight months after launching the conflict alongside Israel on February 28, Donald Trump has downplayed chances of major fighting restarting soon. However, he remains unwilling to take up Iran's proposed truce plan.
Talks continue amidst active clashes. Iranian state media reported that the US carried out strikes overnight on Iran's Qeshm island. Meanwhile, Iran has targeted tankers in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and its Houthi allies in Yemen have struck targets inside Saudi Arabia.
Push for diplomacy
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, who serves as Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister, is holding talks with Trump and Vice President JD Vance in Washington. Qatar has acted as a key go-between since early in the conflict.
Iran wants the US to lift its port blockade, ease certain sanctions, and stop bombing. In exchange, Tehran would end its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz before further talks on its nuclear programme. But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed these demands, calling them outrageous, ridiculous, and not realistic.
Even with domestic heat over the conflict after recent election losses, Rubio noted that a breakthrough is not on the immediate cards. UAE official Anwar Gargash also indicated that a full settlement seems difficult, advising preparation for long uncertainty.
“We should... prepare for a long period of uncertainty in which neither a decisive resolution nor stable regional order can be taken for granted”Anwar Gargash
Clashes show no sign of stopping
A provincial official told the Fars news agency that the Sunday night attacks on Qeshm island did not damage vital services. The US side has offered no official comment on the reports.
Tanker disruptions have peaked recently, with an Iranian state television reporter claiming 11 tankers were disabled over 10 days. Across the border, Yemen's Houthis claimed a strike on an Aramco office building in Riyadh, where windows were shattered across several floors.
