Iran tells US privately the Hormuz attacks were a mistake

On July 10, Iranian officials sent a private message to Donald Trump's negotiating team: the July 7 missile strikes on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz were a mistake. CBS News reported the admission, citing multiple senior US officials.

Iran told the Americans that a faction of hardliners within its military carried out the attacks. Those hardliners, according to Iran's account, acted against the government's direction to try to wreck the ceasefire talks. Iran also said it was caught off guard by how quickly oil and gas traffic had picked up in the southern Omani transit lane after the June ceasefire.

The White House has not accepted the explanation. It is demanding that Iran make a public acknowledgment before the ceasefire can be considered resumed. A private message is not enough.

The channel through which Iran sent the message was the same back-channel the two governments have been using since the June deal. The Trump team who received it includes Vice President Vance, Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, and Marco Rubio.

On July 11, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi flew to Muscat. He met with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi for direct talks on Hormuz management. A second round of discussions was set for July 12.

Also on July 10, the US Treasury Department imposed fresh sanctions on Ali Ansari, a Dubai-based financier, and 13 entities connected to new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Khamenei himself, speaking publicly after his father's death, said revenge is inevitable.