As the United States and Iran break their ceasefire agreement and exchange attacks, Iran's double-track behavior is also coming to light. While harshly criticizing the United States in public, Iran has secretly requested talks behind the scenes. But U.S. President Donald Trump has applied pressure, saying he would negotiate for only a "limited time." The likelihood of reaching a nuclear agreement is growing ever slimmer.
According to Iran International on the 12th, Iran unofficially explained that its ship attack on the United States was the mistake of a "rogue" faction. It also sent signals that it wanted talks. In public, however, Iran accused the United States of violating a memorandum of understanding (MOU). It then announced it would close the Strait of Hormuz again.
At the same time, Iran launched a large-scale counterattack targeting U.S. military bases in the Middle East in response to the U.S. airstrikes. Iranian state broadcasting reported that day that "in response to the continued U.S. attacks on southern Iran, the Iranian regular army, along with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), carried out airstrikes on U.S. military facilities in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain." The IRGC struck a U.S. command and control center located in Jordan and a U.S. aircraft carrier refueling facility in Oman.
The United States immediately launched large-scale retaliatory airstrikes. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that "Iran made the wrong choice" and "will have to bear the consequences of the attack." That day, U.S. Central Command said it had struck about 140 military targets in Iran, including Iranian missile and drone bases and naval-related facilities, using fighter jets, drones and precision-guided munitions.
As the two sides exchanged attacks, views emerged that the chances of a ceasefire agreement were low. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said the Trump administration had judged that the likelihood of a nuclear deal was diminishing. The WSJ reported that "if Iran fails to comply with an interim agreement to receive financial benefits in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a deal is unlikely."
President Trump set a deadline on the negotiations. Officials said that in the event of a breakdown, Trump had several options. President Trump said that 1,000 missiles had completed launch preparations and that he would maintain a state of readiness for one year to destroy every region of Iran. He also stressed that for a nuclear deal, Iran must give up its highly enriched stockpile and stop the ship attacks.
As Iran again declared the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Oman stepped in to mediate. According to CNN, Oman met with Iran on the 11th and proposed a plan to open both shipping lanes. The southern route passing through Omani territorial waters would allow free navigation, while the northern corridor passing through Iranian territorial waters would require prior approval but no tolls.
Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Oman and Iran had discussed navigation safety and security issues in the Strait of Hormuz at this meeting. Baghaei said, "We exchanged views within the bounds of respecting the sovereignty of both coastal states, international law and Article 5 of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding." He stressed that "any future agreement for managing traffic in the strait must be reached through consultations between the two coastal states." He added that Iran and Oman had agreed to continue talks and that a Qatari delegation had also attended the meeting.
