Qatari mediators held separate talks with Araghchi and Witkoff on Saturday over reopening the Strait of Hormuz

According to a report by the news site Axios, republished by the newspaper Donya-e Eqtesad on Sunday, 2 August 2026 (11 Mordad 1405), Qatari mediators held separate talks on Saturday, 1 August 2026, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Omani officials, to prepare the ground for a deal on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. A source familiar with the matter said the talks had made progress, but that it was not yet clear whether it would be enough to contain the crisis.

In the same report, Axios, citing two US officials and a source familiar with the call, said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had telephoned Donald Trump to urge de-escalation and to refrain from striking Iran's energy targets. One of the officials said Riyadh had asked for clarity on Washington's operational plan. The White House and the Saudi embassy in Washington declined to comment on the call. Trump had met Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman on Wednesday, a meeting a source said was added to the schedule after the prince met US Vice President JD Vance.

According to the same report, alongside Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Türkiye and Pakistan are pressing both sides to de-escalate. Araghchi spoke on Saturday with Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan's army chief, and with the Turkish and Saudi foreign ministers, telling his Saudi counterpart that any hostile action by the United States or Israel, or participation in it by regional states, would meet a "decisive and proportionate response". The Strait of Hormuz is the main export route for Persian Gulf crude, and its status bears directly on global oil prices and on freight and insurance costs.