Diplomacy between Iran and the United States is moving, but slowly, and through a middleman. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, said Sunday that Tehran is reviewing Washington's response to its proposal and has already sent some of its positions back through Qatar, Xinhua and Iran International reported.

The two sides are far apart on what comes first. Baghaei said U.S. proposals remain focused on Iran's nuclear program, according to Iran International and the WANA news agency. Iran's priority, he said, is restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that normally carries about a fifth of the world's oil.

Iran floated a plan at the United Nations General Assembly in September that would reopen the strait within seven days if certain conditions were met. The U.S. reply arrived through Qatar last week. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Sunday that Hormuz will not reopen until seven conditions based on a June memorandum signed in Islamabad are met, including an end to the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Qatar has a long record as a go-between. It hosted talks between the U.S. and the Taliban before the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, and it has helped broker deals between Israel and Hamas. Its ties to both Washington and Tehran make it a natural channel when the two governments will not talk directly.

The stakes are high. Tankers keep getting hit near Hormuz, including the new tanker Lipsi on Sunday. Oil is near $101 a barrel. In Washington, President Trump's top national security aides met at Camp David on Saturday to discuss the war, though no decisions were announced.

The war began in late February with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.

What we know: Iran is reviewing the U.S. reply, and Qatar is carrying messages.
What we don't: Whether either side will budge on the order of steps, nuclear or shipping first.