‘We scre**d up’: Iran admitted that Hormuz attacks were a ‘mistake’, say US officials

2 min readUpdated: Jul 11, 2026 12:19 PM IST

Iranian officials have privately told advisers to US President Donald Trump that Tehran made a mistake by targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, according to senior US officials, CBS News reported. The officials said Iran described the attacks as the actions of an “errant” faction of hardliners seeking to derail ongoing negotiations, while indicating that it wants to continue talks with Washington.

The Trump administration, however, wants Tehran to publicly acknowledge the incident as a mistake, viewing the attacks as a breach of the ceasefire agreement. Trump reportedly also wants Iran to issue a signed statement declaring that the Strait of Hormuz’s shipping channels would remain open for all and safe, reported BBC.

President Trump has directed his negotiating team — led by Vice-President JD Vance, senior adviser Jared Kushner, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to continue diplomatic engagement with Iran. The next round of talks is scheduled to take place in Oman on Saturday.

“They came back to the table and said, ‘We screwed up. We made a mistake. Let’s keep talking,'” one senior US official told CBS News.

Following the Oman talks, the Trump administration expects Iran to reaffirm that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open and continue to operate as it did before the conflict.

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