Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there are currently no direct talks with the United States, only an exchange of messages through intermediaries. Araghchi said negotiations would not resume as long as US violations of the interim deal continue.
On the Strait of Hormuz, Araghchi said talks with Oman over managing traffic through the waterway are in their final stages, adding that new shipping routes would be established through the strait.
However, he clarified that the Oman talks do not amount to a full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, with the waterway’s complete reopening remaining contingent on additional conditions, including compensation from the US over the alleged MoU violations.
Earlier today, Iran put forth a sweeping list of demands that says the United States must meet before the Strait of Hormuz can reopen to maritime traffic, casting further doubt over the future of the vital shipping route.
Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, issued the demands in a statement carried by Iranian state media. He said the US must lift its naval blockade and sanctions on Iran, withdraw its military from around Iran, pay war reparations and release frozen Iranian assets. Iran also wants Washington to stop attacks on its regional allies and end what it described as threats against the country.
The statement came as Iran and Oman continued negotiations over the future management of the Strait of Hormuz, which lies between the two countries.
Iran effectively closed the waterway after it was attacked by the US and Israel in February. Following this, the US military imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports which was lifted after the ceasefire deal.
The June agreement, described as a “Memorandum of Understanding” and brokered by Pakistani mediators in Islamabad, called for the Strait of Hormuz to be opened and for oil sanctions on Iran to be temporarily lifted.
But the agreement contained vague language, and Iran and the US interpreted its terms, especially Article 5 of the agreement, differently. Tensions escalated, ships were attacked, the ceasefire collapsed, and the US reinstated its naval blockade of Iranian ports.