According to CBS, Iranian officials told advisers to Trump that the attacks had been carried out by an “errant” group of hardliners attempting to derail the ongoing negotiations.
Senior US officials said the Iranian side conveyed the message, “We screwed up.
US officials believe Iran became alarmed as commercial traffic shifted to the southern route and subsequently backed away from its commitments.
President Trump has directed his negotiating team, led by Vice President JD Vance, Jared Kushner, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to continue discussions with Iran.
They added that President Trump has given negotiators time to reach an agreement, but not indefinitely.
Against the backdrop of renewed military confrontation between Washington and Tehran, reports emerged that Iranian officials had privately acknowledged to President Donald Trump’s advisers that the attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz were a “mistake”, while indicating they wished to keep diplomatic negotiations on track despite Trump declaring the ceasefire was “over”.
According to CBS, Iranian officials told advisers to Trump that the attacks had been carried out by an “errant” group of hardliners attempting to derail the ongoing negotiations. Senior US officials said the Iranian side conveyed the message, “We screwed up. We made a mistake. Let’s keep talking."
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White House seeks public acknowledgement
The White House is seeking a public acknowledgement from Iran over what it considers to be a breach of the ceasefire agreement.
According to the reports, Iranian officials told Trump’s advisers that the attacks on commercial ships had been initiated by an “errant” faction within Iran’s system that was trying to undermine the agreement.
The explanation has emerged as one of two competing narratives surrounding the attacks. Iran maintains that rogue hardliners sabotaged the peace process.
The Trump administration, however, believes Tehran responded after realising that oil and gas shipments were increasingly using the southern shipping lane along the Omani coast, reducing Iran’s leverage over the Strait of Hormuz.
US officials believe Iran became alarmed as commercial traffic shifted to the southern route and subsequently backed away from its commitments.
Oman talks to continue
Negotiations are scheduled to resume in Oman on Saturday. President Trump has directed his negotiating team, led by Vice President JD Vance, Jared Kushner, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to continue discussions with Iran.
Following the meeting, the White House expects Iran to publicly state that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open and continue to be managed in the same manner as it was before the conflict.
One senior US official warned that if Iran failed to adopt that position, “it’s not going to be a great day for them."
Another official described the current situation as “a wait-and-see moment."
US keeps military and economic options open
US officials said Washington is prepared to apply both military and economic pressure if Iran continues hostile actions. They added that President Trump has given negotiators time to reach an agreement, but not indefinitely.
According to officials, the administration’s immediate focus is securing freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz before turning to more complex issues.
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Meanwhile, the Trump administration also addressed what the president has described as the “nuclear dust” remaining from Iran’s nuclear programme.
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