Iran is not yet ready to resume negotiations with the U.S.
Iran has not yet decided whether to resume negotiations with the United States. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that mediators continue to maintain contact with Tehran, but these contacts cannot be described as full-fledged negotiations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the country’s leadership has not yet decided whether to resume direct negotiations with the U.S. “No decision has yet been made regarding the resumption of negotiations with the United States of America,” Araghchi said. According to him, Qatar and Pakistan are currently acting as intermediaries between Tehran and Washington. They are exchanging messages and maintaining contact with the Iranian side.
However, officials in Tehran emphasize that this exchange of information does not signify the start of new negotiations. Araghchi explained Iran’s position by referring to the situation surrounding previous agreements. According to him, the parties had agreed not merely on a brief cessation of hostilities, but on an end to the war.
“The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding provides for a cessation of hostilities, but the United States violated it and resumed strikes. But we did not agree to a temporary ceasefire; we agreed to end the war, which has now entered a new phase,” stated the Iranian foreign minister. Thus, Tehran is not currently showing any willingness to return to the negotiating table with the U.S. At the same time, diplomatic contacts through intermediaries continue.
Iran and Oman Discuss the Strait of Hormuz
Separately, Araghchi spoke about negotiations with Oman regarding the situation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. According to him, the parties are currently discussing technical issues related to the movement of ships. The main focus is on determining routes for safe navigation. “The routes that existed previously no longer work; a new route must be established. We are currently developing a temporary route that will eventually become permanent,” the minister said.
Experts and military personnel from both countries are participating in these consultations. Araghchi suggested that the parties may reach a specific outcome in the near future. At the same time, he emphasized that the technical consultations on the routes are not directly linked to possible negotiations on resuming full-scale transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
The opening of the strait depends on Iran’s conditions
The Iranian side also links the possible resumption of normal traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to the fulfillment of other requirements. “Whether or not the Strait of Hormuz will be opened depends on the fulfillment of other conditions that the Americans must meet,” Araghchi noted.
In other words, negotiations regarding shipping routes are ongoing, but this does not yet mean that the strait will be fully reopened to regular shipping in the near future. At the same time, Tehran has not yet agreed to resume negotiations with the U.S. According to Araghchi, the Iranian leadership has not yet made a final decision on this matter. This was reported by the Mehr news agency.
Yields on U.S. Treasury bonds rose on Friday, August 14, following statements by U.S. officials regarding the possibility of an indefinite extension of the naval blockade of Iranian ports.
