Qatar and Pakistan advance mediation efforts as US and Iran pause direct military strikes

Regional mediators led by Qatar and Pakistan have achieved significant progress in restoring negotiations between the United States and Iran following a three-day pause in direct military strikes, according to regional officials.

The temporary lull comes after nearly two weeks of heavy bombardment triggered by Iranian actions in the Strait of Hormuz.

While US President Donald Trump and Tehran have temporarily halted direct strikes against one another, scattered attacks by regional armed groups persist, including drone attacks targetting Saudi petroleum facilities by Iran-backed militias and Houthis, alongside drone interceptions over Jordan and Iraq.

Talks facilitated alongside Oman are focusing on establishing a maritime management mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz to restore an interim ceasefire deal, although Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stated that no direct negotiations with Washington are taking place and that the waterway currently remains closed.

Concurrently, US naval blockades against Iran persist, and global shipping through both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb strait remains constrained.

Amid ongoing mediation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington to discuss the wider conflict, while Iranian officials have condemned a recent Ukrainian strike on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea.