Iran live updates: Diplomatic efforts to end war ongoing, Qatari official says
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President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.
The U.S. and Iran have nonetheless continued to exchange strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz the primary flashpoint.
Bessent says Iran deal could come 'today or tomorrow' Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC on Tuesday that the White House might have a deal with Iran "today or tomorrow" that opens the Strait of Hormuz and moves "towards a more normalized position in this conflict."
President Donald Trump said over the weekend that negotiations would restart with Iran on Monday, though Tehran said publicly that the discussions were not happening. Trump said the "imminent deal" would relate to the Strait of Hormuz and "ultimately the denuclearization of Iran."
Bessent said on Tuesday that U.S.-Iran talks are underway and suggested that a deal may happen because of Trump's repeated threats to resume large-scale strikes on Iran.
The U.S. may secure a deal, he said, "because their air force is wiped out, their navy is wiped out" and a "substantial portion of their missiles are wiped out. More importantly, their missile production capability is wiped out."
Bessent said he believes the Strait will have free passage and that he would then expect energy prices to "settle back down."
-ABC News' Isabella Murray, Michelle Stoddart and Zunaira Zaki
Diplomatic efforts ongoing, no direct talks 'on the books,' Qatari official says Majed al-Ansari, the spokesperson for Qatar's Foreign Ministry, said during a press conference in Doha on Tuesday that "efforts are still ongoing with all the parties" to end the war between the U.S. and Iran.
"We are looking towards a diplomatic resolution as we are speaking right now. As you know, there are current efforts on the ground that are in very progressive stages, and we are working with all the parties," Ansari said.
Ansari said that there is no agreement, but added that "things may change in the coming hours or days, we don't know."
The Qatari spokesperson said that a return to a ceasefire and ensuring the safety of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz were necessary to facilitate further negotiations. Qatar, Pakistan and Oman are all "working together on that issue," Ansari said.
"Our focus right now is on avoiding escalation, reopening the Strait and reopening the door for diplomacy between the parties," Ansari said. "What we do not want to see right now is a major escalation in our region as the events were leading toward that direction."
"Right now, we don't have anything on the books when it comes to direct talks," Ansari added.
"We are hopeful that if we can get a resumption of the talks anytime soon, we'd be able to push forward towards a major deal that would help us walk back into a situation of peace in our region," he said.
Houthis claim attack on Saudi airport Yahya Saree, the official spokesperson of the armed forces of the Houthi rebels in Yemen, said in a post to X on Tuesday that Houthi forces launched an attack on the Najran Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia, close to the border with Yemen.
Saree claimed that the "precise" drone strike was successful. The Saudi Defense Ministry has not yet commented on the Houthi claim.
Cargo ship hit by projectile off Oman, UKMTO says The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said that a cargo ship reported being hit by an "unknown projectile" off the coast of Oman on Monday.
President Donald Trump announced \"major combat operations\" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.
The U.S. and Iran have nonetheless continued to exchange strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz the primary flashpoint.
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