Iranian officials have privately told advisers to U.S. President Donald Trump that attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz were a mistake and were carried out by an "errant" group of hardliners seeking to derail ongoing negotiations, according to senior U.S. officials.
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The officials said Tehran has expressed a desire to continue talks with Washington, with negotiations scheduled to take place in Oman on Saturday.
The White House is pressing Iran to publicly acknowledge what it describes as a violation of the ceasefire after the attacks on commercial shipping.
Trump Keeps Diplomatic Effort on Track
President Trump has instructed his negotiating team, led by Vice President JD Vance, Jared Kushner, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to continue pursuing a diplomatic agreement.
U.S. officials said Washington remains prepared to use military and economic pressure if Iran carries out further hostile actions.
One senior official described Iran's message as an admission of error, saying Tehran had returned to negotiations after acknowledging it had "made a mistake" and wanted discussions to continue.
Dispute Over Shipping Attacks
According to U.S. officials, Iran has claimed the attacks on commercial vessels were initiated by a rogue faction within its system that was attempting to undermine the negotiations.
The Trump administration, however, disputes that explanation. Officials said the United States believes Iran reacted after being surprised by the volume of commercial traffic using the southern shipping lane along the Omani coast.
Washington had expected that route to remain open under an existing memorandum, but officials believe Iran reversed course after seeing how much oil and gas shipping continued through the passage.
Following Saturday's talks, the administration expects Iran to confirm that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open and managed as it was before the recent conflict. One official warned that if Tehran adopts a different position, the outcome would not be favourable for Iran.
Another official described the current situation as a "wait-and-see" moment.
Nuclear Issue Still Looms
U.S. officials said President Trump is allowing negotiators time to seek an agreement, although they stressed that patience is limited.
They also said Washington would prefer to recover what the president has referred to as the "nuclear dust" — the remaining elements of Iran's nuclear programme — through peaceful means. However, officials said other options remain available if Iran does not, in their words, behave like a "normal country."
Officials argued that if Iran cannot honour what Washington considers the simplest part of any agreement — keeping the Strait of Hormuz open to international trade — negotiations are unlikely to progress to the more difficult issue of Iran's nuclear programme.
The officials declined to comment on reports that Israeli intelligence uncovered alleged plots targeting President Trump, but said the president does not make decisions based on fear or threats.
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11 July 2026
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