Iran: Strait attacks were mistakes, continue talks

PRIVATE OUTREACH | Tehran privately tells Trump officials that hardliners acted alone, urges diplomacy to stay alive

Dubai: Iranian officials have privately told advisers to US President Donald Trump they made a mistake by attacking commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and wanted negotiations to continue.

CBS News, citing senior US officials, reported Tehran told the Trump administration the attacks were carried out by an “errant” hardline faction trying to derail the negotiations. The White House wants Iran to publicly acknowledge the mistake, viewing the attacks as a violation of the ceasefire.

US officials said Washing­ton expected Iran to affirm the strait would remain open to commercial shipping. “If that is not their position, it's not going to be a great day for them,” one official said. “We’re definitely in a wait-and-see moment,” another official said.

Iran told the US the attacks were launched by an “errant” faction within its system. However, the Trump administration believes Tehran was caught off guard by the volume of oil and gas shipments using the southern shipping lane along Oman's coast and backed away from an earlier understanding.

Officials warned the US would use military and economic leverage if Iran resumed hostile actions. One official said Trump was giving negotiators time to reach an agreement, “but not a lot of time”.

SOH SHUT, HIT VESSEL USING UNAUTHORISED ROUTE, says TEHRAN

Iran said it considers the strait closed again after a vessel using an unauthorised route was struck by a warning shot in the waterway, jeopardising the tenuous ceasefire agreement with the US.

The announcement follow­ed Iran and Oman's foreign ministers meeting on Satur­day to discuss the strait. Oman said it and Iran agreed to keep talking about the strait “at the technical and political levels”.

Trump had tasked JD Van­ce, Jared Kushner, Steve Witk­off and Marco Rubio with pursuing negotiations through Omani mediators.

—Agencies

They came back to the table and said, ‘We screwed up. We made a mistake. Let's keep talking’. 

Senior US official