Negotiations Remain Suspended
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that talks with the United States remain suspended, with the two sides only exchanging messages through intermediaries.
“Unless reparations for breach of understanding are made […] there is no possibility of restarting negotiations,” Araghchi told the press at the ‘Muharram and Ashura in Reflection of Foreign Ministry Documents’ event in Tehran.
Iran and the United States signed the Qatar- and Pakistan-mediated Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding on June 18, ending military operations and addressing freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Talks later faltered amid disputes over maritime security and navigation through the strategic waterway.
Strait Plans Discussed
Turning to the Strait, Araghchi said Iran and Oman had made a breakthrough on plans for new shipping routes, with experts now working on maps to replace existing routes.
But he stressed that an agreement with Muscat on a new maritime route “does not mean the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.”
Araghchi said reopening the strait would depend on separate conditions being conveyed to Washington through intermediaries.
Maritime Agreement Progress
Tehran and Muscat have been negotiating new shipping arrangements through one of the world’s most important trade routes.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi earlier said the two countries had reached a ‘basic understanding’, adding that negotiations were approaching their final stages.
Conflicting Statements Continue
Araghchi’s comments followed conflicting statements from Tehran and Washington in recent days, after US President Donald Trump said talks were resuming, a claim Iran denied.
Iran International TV, via Viory.Video
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