Overview
- Qatari envoys held marathon talks in Tehran and Doha and presented a seven-day confidence plan that Iran called unsatisfactory, while Tehran is pressing its own demand that the U.S. lift a naval blockade, unfreeze assets and approve an Iran-backed route through the Strait of Hormuz.
- The U.S. made a parallel indirect move this week when Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to senior Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei probing a path to direct high-level talks and Tehran says it is studying that letter.
- Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei ordered commanders to raise readiness and to prepare an “immediate, impactful and geographically unrestricted” response if attacked, a statement posted on his official channel that was reported on Saturday said.
- Iranian state media and local officials reported recent maritime incidents around Qeshm, including claims of damaged tankers and an attack on fishing boats, which have cut Strait of Hormuz traffic and pushed up global energy prices.
- Washington has kept military options visible and briefed commanders on possible operations that could resume after the U.S. midterms, creating a narrow window for mediators to bridge core gaps between reopening the strait and U.S. sanctions demands.