According to an official familiar with the discussions, as told to CNBC on Saturday, Qatar's mediation efforts have led to talks between Iranian officials, in an attempt to restart direct negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Iran has stated that if the United States launches a new attack, it will respond in a "geographically unrestricted manner."
The source said that Qatar's mediators held talks in Tehran for over 12 hours on Friday, attempting to reach an agreement to prevent a possible resumption of U.S.-led attacks on Iran after the U.S. midterms. The source requested anonymity.
Axios was the first to report on these talks, stating that they are expected to continue on Saturday in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
On June 17, the United States and Iran signed a preliminary agreement aimed at stopping the hostilities. The fighting began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iranian targets. Weeks later, this agreement collapsed.
On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his statement that the war with Iran would end “when I decide it’s time to end it.” Trump said that this would happen “soon, but we must end it properly,” and issued a “comprehensive statement” stating that Iran will never possess nuclear weapons.
The most recent confirmed U.S. strike against Iran occurred on September 1st. Trump has previously stated that the possibility of attacking Iran still exists after the mid-term elections on November 3rd, which are scheduled for Tuesday. Tehran has indicated that it is preparing to respond militarily to any U.S. attacks.
The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated in a statement on his Telegram account on Saturday that "any level or type of threat must be met with an immediate, forceful, and geographically unrestricted response."
Shipping attacks continue
Iranian broadcasting agencies quoted an official from Hormozgan Province as saying that on Saturday, U.S. forces attacked two fishing boats off the coast of Masan, near the Strait of Hormuz and near Kishim Island. This report has not yet been independently verified.
The United States Central Command did not immediately respond to the request for comment from CNBC.
This is the latest report of a shipping attack on this economically vital waterway.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported on Friday that an oil tanker was hit by an unknown projectile while leaving the strait.
In addition, Iran stated on Friday that four oil tankers had hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz, while Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed to have launched missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, escalating tensions on both fronts.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards of Iran stated that three oil tankers caught fire after hitting mines on what they referred to as an "unauthorized southern route" near the coast of Oman. The Iranian military reported that a fourth oil tanker also caught fire on the east side of the strait.
Due to traders' concerns that the war could escalate further, oil prices rose by more than 2% on Friday, closing at their highest level since the end of April.
The December-delivered Brent crude oil futures contract expired on Friday, closing up 2.76 dollars, or 2.4%, at $117.64 per barrel, with prices briefly reaching a high of $118 during the session. The more active January contract also rose by 2.63 dollars to close at $113.43.
