By Vaughn Cockayne (The Washington Times)
Iranian officials on Friday denied reports that the U.S. and Iran were gearing up for continued peace negotiations, even as President Trump said Tehran has begged to restart talks.
Mohammad Marandi, one of the officials who represented Iran during talks with the U.S. this year, told Iran’s state-affiliated Fars News Agency that peace negotiations would continue only after Washington fulfills its responsibilities under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
He was responding to reports in Western media outlets that the U.S. and Iran would restart talks next week, potentially in Switzerland. Reports also indicated that mediators, including Pakistan and Qatar, are working to revive discussions between Tehran and Washington.
Iranian state-affiliated outlet Tasnim News Agency reported that a Qatari delegation met with officials in Iran on Friday and discussed efforts to de-escalate tensions and create the conditions that would facilitate further dialogue.
The report also noted that officials discussed allegations Qatar had made concerning last week’s attacks on three tankers traveling in Omani waters near the Strait of Hormuz.
Those attacks, for which Tehran has not directly claimed responsibility, sparked the most intense escalation of the war between the U.S. and Iran since the signing of the memorandum last month.
The U.S. blamed Iran for the attacks and launched its own strikes on radar and air defense targets in Iran’s south. Iran retaliated just hours later with attacks on U.S. military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Retaliatory strikes from both sides continued the next day, with both the Iranian and U.S. strikes expanding in scale. No strikes from either side were reported Friday.
Mr. Trump on Friday said this week’s strikes ensured that the ceasefire agreement, outlined in the memorandum, was effectively dead. However, the president said that the U.S. had agreed to further negotiations at Iran’s request.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ’talks.’ We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the cease fire is OVER,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The focal point of recent tensions between the U.S. and Iran is the Strait of Hormuz, a valuable waterway connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that Iran has kept effectively closed for months. At least 20% of the world’s oil transits the strait each year, and Iran’s intermittent attacks on commercial ships trying to move through the waterway have caused oil prices to soar.
Brent crude prices are up nearly 4% over the past five days, inching above $75 a barrel as of Friday afternoon. That’s down from $87 a barrel in early June, but still far above pre-war levels.
The memorandum of understanding says Iran must make arrangements for the safe passage of commercial ships through the strait and charge no fees for at least 60 days. Iranian officials intend to hold discussions with Oman to “define the future administration” of the waterway.
This article was made available to WMAL via The Washington Times.
