Guns appeared to fall silent on Friday after days of deadly attacks traded by the US and Iran, as mediators push for a return to dialogue and diplomacy.
The US carried out strikes on Iran, leading to retaliatory attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan, while also dealing a blow to energy markets as the situation in the Strait of Hormuz deteriorated.
Iranian state media and officials had reported several explosions across southern Iran in the early hours of Friday morning and blamed "the enemy" for new attacks, without naming the country. The US did not announce any new attacks and American officials told Axios that Washington was seeking to de-escalate.
The US is "still committed to finding a resolution and technical talks continue" to reach a nuclear deal, the official told the outlet, despite President Donald Trump on Wednesday saying he believed the ceasefire was "over."
A US official told Al Jazeera that Washington was not behind the latest strikes on Iran.
“There are extensive diplomatic efforts to first agree with both sides on de-escalation and then set a date for another round of negotiations between the technical teams,” one regional source told Axios.
Qatari, Pakistani and other regional mediators conducted a flurry of phone calls after the recent exchange of fire. CNN also reported that Doha and Islamabad were working to bring the US and Iran back to the negotiating table.
Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman said Doha was still relying on dialogue to settle regional disputes. Qatar remains committed to "diplomacy and mediation as the path towards resolving conflicts & advancing lasting security & stability in the region," Majed Al Ansari said on X.
Doha has been a key mediator in talks between the US and Iran amid efforts to turn a memorandum of understanding into a lasting deal. Under the interim agreement, the two sides had agreed to stop fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The US ended a naval blockade on Iran and allowed Tehran to resume oil exports, while some frozen Iranian funds and assets were to be released.
The main disagreement centred on Hormuz, where tensions rose after Oman and the UN announced an alternative maritime corridor to help evacuate stranded ships. Several vessels were attacked this week in the strait, which the US blamed on Iran and launched strikes on its southern coast. Tehran responded by attacking Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan, claiming to be targeting US bases in these countries.
The latest escalation came as Iran was carrying out funeral processions for late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei filled with symbolism and anti-Trump slogans.
During the Nato summit, Mr Trump said Iran wanted to kill him. "I'm the number one target," he said on Wednesday.
Israel reportedly shared intelligence with the US indicating an Iranian plot was under way to kill Mr Trump, American outlets reported.
The Wall Street Journal and CNN, citing sources familiar with the matter, said the warning came this week but neither specified the details nor which channel the intelligence was relayed through.
Iran has pledged to assassinate Mr Trump since he ordered US strikes that killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force commander Gen Qassem Suleimani in 2020. Calls for Mr Trump's death have featured prominently in the funeral procession of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in US and Israeli strikes in February.
