Mediators have achieved progress in efforts to bring the United States and Iran back to negotiations and avert an all-out war in the Middle East, two regional officials stated Monday. This comes after a pause in attacks followed a period of rapidly escalating tensions.
The comments were made after neither the U.S. nor Iran reported conducting any attacks for three consecutive days—a lull following about two weeks of sustained bombardments that heightened fears of a return to full-scale war.
The two regional officials, speaking anonymously regarding the sensitive regional discussions, indicated that mediators led by Qatar and Pakistan are working to close the gap between Washington and Tehran to resume an interim ceasefire deal that had been significantly weakened by recent exchanges of fire.
### No Strikes Over Weekend
The U.S. halted attacks after targeting Iranian coastal areas and infrastructure during a nearly two-week escalation. This escalation began when Iran fired at ships attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global oil shipments. The Pentagon did not respond to questions.
Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told Fox News that President Donald Trump is "giving talks some space. He’s giving it a little bit of room."
Waltz dismissed claims that the U.S. stockpile of interceptors necessary for defending against Iranian attacks is low, but experts have questioned how long both the U.S. and Iran can sustain their attacks.
Iran's army spokesperson told Iran’s state TV on Sunday that since the U.S. paused its attacks over the last two nights, Iran has also done so. Tehran recently counterattacked against countries hosting U.S. military forces in the region, resulting in at least three service members killed at a base in Jordan and one in Iraq.
### Regional Officials Cite Progress in Talks
One of the regional officials who spoke to AP on Monday described the progress made in mediation efforts as "significant." He noted that mediators are working with Iran and Oman on a mechanism for managing vessel transit through the Strait of Hormuz, which is the flashpoint for recent strikes and counterstrikes.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, stated during a news conference in Tehran on Monday that while mediators were conveying messages, there were no direct negotiations taking place.
"Mediators may convey messages to us from the American side regarding ongoing developments in the region. But at present, we have no negotiations with the American side," Baghaei said.
He added that Iran and Oman, which is located on the other side of the Strait of Hormuz, had already held talks on Friday and Saturday concerning how to manage ship traffic through the waterway.
"The objective is for Iran and Oman, as the two coastal states, to develop mechanisms to ensure safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz while respecting the sovereign rights and sovereignty of both coastal states, as well as Iran’s security and national interests," Baghaei stated. However, he emphasized that the waterway remains closed.
Tehran has maintained that the interim deal with the U.S. currently allows it to manage shipping on the waterway, and it has objected to U.S. efforts supporting a route passing near Oman instead. The strait was previously considered an international waterway before the war.
The U.S. military reported on Saturday that its recently reimposed naval blockade against Iran continued, resulting in a dozen commercial ships being redirected, two disabled, and two boarded. U.S. forces "remain highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready," the report added.
The 60-day period established by the interim deal in mid-June is now well into its second half, yet major issues intended for negotiation—notably Iran’s nuclear program at the core of tensions—remain aside as mediators attempt to maintain dialogue between both sides.
### Shipping Traffic on Strait Reaches Three-Week Low
Concerns persist regarding shipping through another critical regional waterway, the Bab al-Mandeb strait leading to the Red Sea. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen threatened a blockade of Saudi shipping there last week and fired upon at least one Saudi tanker, setting it ablaze.
Global energy supplies and the economy remain uncertain as gasoline prices have risen again.
A maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy reported on Sunday that commercial shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz was at a three-week low, adding that no new attacks had been confirmed in the last 72 hours. It also noted that traffic through Bab el-Mandeb remained steady.
### Netanyahu Affirms Support for Trump’s Initiatives
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to travel to the United States to meet with Trump in Washington on Tuesday, his office stated. Their previous meeting in Washington occurred in February, weeks before the war on Iran began, which resulted in the deaths of senior leaders including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah fired at Israel two days after the war commenced, prompting an Israeli response involving airstrikes and ground forces in southern Lebanon. Since then, the U.S. has supported direct talks between Lebanon and Israel to de-escalate that front and find a way to disarm Hezbollah.
### Iran Criticizes Ukraine Over Caspian Sea Vessel Strike
Separately, Baghaei criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after he stated over the weekend that Ukraine had struck "vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran" in the Caspian Sea.
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reported that Ukraine’s strike on an Iranian vessel killed a sailor.
In a post on X, Araghchi condemned the attack as a "blatant U.N. Charter violation done at Israel’s behest to drag Europe into its war." He stated he made it clear in calls with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that the attack "can’t go unanswered."
Iran is an ally of Russia in its conflict against Ukraine, assisting Moscow in developing its drone capabilities.
Speaking during the news conference in Tehran on Monday, Baghaei asserted that "all parties that consider themselves in some way supporters of the Ukrainian regime must be held accountable." He characterized Zelenskyy’s "behavior as reminiscent of the anarchists who, on the eve of World War I, carried out theatrical and highly dangerous actions whose repercussions engulfed all of Europe."
Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Associated Press reporters Cara Anna in Lowville, New York; Darlene Superville and Ben Finley in Washington; and Jill Lawless and Emma Burrows in London contributed.