Qatari mediators visited Iran on Friday to get negotiations back on track.
President Donald Trump announced “major combat operations” against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations last month aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.
The U.S. and Iran nonetheless exchanged limited strikes in late June despite the signing of the memorandum and amid the continuation of peace talks.
Key Headlines
Here’s how the news is developing.
19 minutes ago
Trump agrees to continue talks with Iran, but says ceasefire is ‘OVER’
President Donald Trump said that he has agreed to Iran’s request to continue talks, but he maintained, “Cease Fire is OVER!”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks.’ We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!,” Trump said in a social media post Friday.
1 hour and 22 minutes ago
Qatari mediators visit Iran in push for de-escalation
Qatari mediators travelled to Iran in an effort to get negotiations between the U.S. and Iran back on track and encourage deescalation form both sides, aources told ABC News.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that a Qatari delegation had visited Iran on Friday. Flight data indicates that the Qatari delegation has now left Iran after spending several hours on the ground.
After a call between the Egyptian and Qatari foreign ministers, Qatar’s foreign ministry released a statement which stressed “the need for all parties to commit to dialogue and diplomacy, and to implement what was agreed upon within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran, including ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston
Jul 09, 2026, 8:28 PM EDT
Technical talks between Iran and U.S. continue: U.S. official
The U.S. and Iran continue to engage in technical negotiations on nuclear issues, a U.S. official said Thursday, following two days of retaliatory strikes against Tehran this week.
“The United States is still committed to finding a resolution, and technical talks continue. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, the official said.
The 60-day ceasefire and memorandum of understanding, the official added, are “performance-based” and Iran’s actions “constitute failed performance at an unacceptable level.”
“Iran’s attacks on these innocent vessels are acts of terrorism” the official added.
-ABC News’ Mariam Khan
Jul 09, 2026, 2:48 PM EDT
Iran says damaged railway line rebuilt within 15 hours after US strikes
The head of Iran’s railway company said Thursday that one of Mashhad railway lines that was damaged in the overnight U.S. strikes has already been reconstructed “in less than 15 hours” after it was hit, and train traffic has resumed on the line.
According to Iranian state TV, the head of the railway company added that the second damaged line will be reconstructed within the next few hours.
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