Iran live updates: Diplomatic efforts to end war ongoing, Qatari official says

The latest round of U.S.-facilitated talks between Lebanon and Israel began on Tuesday in Rome, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott announced in a post on X.

"The United States remains fully committed to supporting both governments as they carry this process forward in a manner that delivers lasting security for both countries, eliminates security threats to Israel, and restores Lebanese state authority throughout the south," Pigott said.

The seventh round of talks in Rome will be attended by high-level political and military officials from both sides, a U.S. official said. The talks will continue for three days through Aug. 6.

The talks bring together technical teams from both governments to advance the full implementation of the Trilateral Framework, including the pilot zone process, the verified disarmament of Hezbollah and other Iran-backed security threats, redeployment of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and laying the ground for a comprehensive peace and security agreement, according to Pigott.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has barely held in recent weeks. Clashes have persisted in southern Lebanon, with daily reports of airstrikes, artillery shelling, demolitions and sonic grenades, according to the United Nations.

Fighting between Israel and Lebanon escalated into a full ground offensive in March 2026 following regional conflict involving Iran.

-ABC News' Mariam Khan

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there has been progress made in discussions with Iran and Oman over getting more ships through the Strait of Hormuz, but no final agreement has been reached yet.

Rubio also confirmed that the U.S. is involved in those negotiations between Oman and Iran. He also said denuclearization of Iran is the ultimate prize.

"The denuclearization of Iran is the ultimate deal. I think the immediate deal, the one that you see a lot of focus on, is the strait," Rubio said. "There are ships moving through the straits. There's oil moving right now through the straits. The straits are open."

"Nonetheless, I think that there's a conversation and a negotiation that we are involved in between Oman and Iran on how more ships can be able to go through there safely in the short term as we move towards these longer-term talks about denuclearization," he said.

-ABC News' Mariam Khan

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC on Tuesday that the White House might have a deal with Iran "today or tomorrow" that opens the Strait of Hormuz and moves "towards a more normalized position in this conflict."

President Donald Trump said over the weekend that negotiations would restart with Iran on Monday, though Tehran said publicly that the discussions were not happening. Trump said the "imminent deal" would relate to the Strait of Hormuz and "ultimately the denuclearization of Iran."

Bessent said on Tuesday that U.S.-Iran talks are underway and suggested that a deal may happen because of Trump's repeated threats to resume large-scale strikes on Iran.

The U.S. may secure a deal, he said, "because their air force is wiped out, their navy is wiped out" and a "substantial portion of their missiles are wiped out. More importantly, their missile production capability is wiped out."

Bessent said he believes the Strait will have free passage and that he would then expect energy prices to "settle back down."

-ABC News' Isabella Murray, Michelle Stoddart and Zunaira Zaki

Majed al-Ansari, the spokesperson for Qatar's Foreign Ministry, said during a press conference in Doha on Tuesday that "efforts are still ongoing with all the parties" to end the war between the U.S. and Iran.

"We are looking towards a diplomatic resolution as we are speaking right now. As you know, there are current efforts on the ground that are in very progressive stages, and we are working with all the parties," Ansari said.

Ansari said that there is no agreement, but added that "things may change in the coming hours or days, we don't know."

The Qatari spokesperson said that a return to a ceasefire and ensuring the safety of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz were necessary to facilitate further negotiations. Qatar, Pakistan and Oman are all "working together on that issue," Ansari said.

"Our focus right now is on avoiding escalation, reopening the Strait and reopening the door for diplomacy between the parties," Ansari said. "What we do not want to see right now is a major escalation in our region as the events were leading toward that direction."

"Right now, we don't have anything on the books when it comes to direct talks," Ansari added.

"We are hopeful that if we can get a resumption of the talks anytime soon, we'd be able to push forward towards a major deal that would help us walk back into a situation of peace in our region," he said.

-ABC News' Othon Leyva