Qatar and Pakistan continue to appear as the mediating bridge after the public collapse of Iran’s seven-day Hormuz proposal. Iranian officials said they were still awaiting a definitive U.S. response through those channels late Saturday, while Trump told Axios he expects more talks this week. Mediation survives rejected papers all the time — the question is whether either capital authorizes a new bridging text. Oil markets will discount empty calendars. A Monday indirect session, if it happens, matters only if it produces a narrowed annex on sanctions sequencing or transit guarantees. Regional states want Hormuz quiet for insurance and food-import reasons that go beyond U.S.–Iran ideology. That pressure keeps mediators in the room even when principals grandstand. Japan Times and India Today agree Qatar/Pakistan remain the channel after the reject. Whether a Monday session produces text — or only more calendars — is unverified overnight. Qatar and Pakistan remain the named mediators on the U.S.–Iran track after Trump rejected Tehran’s Hormuz package. Indirect talks could resume as early as Monday, Axios-style sourcing says.

Japan Times reporting that mediators are still waiting on a definitive U.S. reply, and India Today’s coverage of Waltz alongside the Qatar–Pakistan channel, remain the named pieces on this mediation file.

The Japan Times and India Today agree Qatar and Pakistan remain the mediating channel for U.S.–Iran talks after Trump’s reject of Tehran’s Hormuz terms. Whether a Monday session produces text — or only more calendars — is unverified overnight.

Mediators can keep principals talking after a public reject; they cannot manufacture concessions neither capital has authorized. The seven-day Iranian structure and Washington’s upfront-demand posture are still the walking papers in those rooms.