Military activity increased near the Strait of Hormuz with at least seven US refueling aircraft and fighter jets in the area on Sept. 20. Concurrent with this deployment, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi landed in Doha, Qatar, for a visit that lasted only 60 minutes. Araghchi arrived and departed on an Aveo RJ85 aircraft with registration EP-IGF, a brief stay that indicates the delivery of a specific message to Qatari mediators intended for the US government.

The diplomatic stop follows reports that Iran has issued Code 100, its highest military alert level, across its security forces and Army. Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei recently stated that Tehran is awaiting a response from President Donald Trump regarding conditions to end the war, including the lifting of a naval blockade and the release of frozen assets. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reported that talks between the US and Iran remain stalled amid growing distrust, though Turkey has presented new proposals to bridge the deadlock.