ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERS
Updated:

Qatar has been in talks with the US and Iran to de-escalate the current crisis, according to a Friday New York Times report citing two anonymous officials familiar with the matter. 

Iranian armed forces launched attacks on US military infrastructure in Gulf states on Thursday following US strikes on Iran's southern coastal and eastern provinces, further eroding a three-week-old ceasefire.

Iranian media later reported multiple explosions across southern Iran, including Bushehr, where one of the country's nuclear plants is located, along with Konarak, Choghadak and Bandar Abbas.

Attacks on Qatari and Saudi shipping vessels earlier this week upended the ceasefire, with US President Donald Trump declaring the truce "over."

A Qatari delegation also visited Iran on Friday in what is believed to be an effort by Doha to consolidate its role as a mediator after a recent escalation in hostilities in the Gulf, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

Smoke rises at an unknown location following what US Central Command says is a new wave of strikes against Iran on Tuesday after three tankers were hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, in this still image taken from video released July 7, 2026.
Smoke rises at an unknown location following what US Central Command says is a new wave of strikes against Iran on Tuesday after three tankers were hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, in this still image taken from video released July 7, 2026. (credit: U.S. Central Command/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo)

Tasnim said the visit followed what it described as Qatari accusations against Iran over an alleged incident in the Strait of Hormuz and subsequent US attacks on Iranian military and civilian targets.

A source with knowledge of the situation told Reuters on Friday that Qatari negotiators were meeting Iranian officials in an effort to de-escalate tensions and create conditions for broader negotiations, adding that the talks were being conducted in coordination with the United States.

Axios also cited a diplomat as saying that "it’s clear both sides want to come back to the MOU."

CENTCOM says US forces struck about 90 military targets in Iran

US Central Command said on Wednesday its forces had struck approximately 90 Iranian military targets, including air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, and missile and drone storage sites.

The US military said its strikes were aimed at keeping the strait open after it accused Iranian forces of attacking three tankers in the area.

"This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.