Amid the uncertainty surrounding the course of talks between the United States and Iran, especially after US President Donald Trump extended the truce brokered by Pakistan with Iran without specifying a time limit, Tehran remains committed to lifting the US blockade on the Strait of Hormuz as a condition for holding a second round of talks.
There appear to be signs of this happening, as Iran’s UN representative, Amir Saeed Irvani, revealed on Wednesday that Tehran had received “signals” of the United States’ readiness to lift the naval blockade.
In remarks to the official IRNA news agency, Irani accused the United States of violating the ceasefire agreement, saying, “We informed them of the necessity to lift the blockade, and we received indications that they would do so, thus allowing the second round of negotiations to be held in Islamabad.” Irani did not elaborate on the nature of these indications.
Trump had extended the truce with Iran at Pakistan’s request, “until Tehran submits its proposal,” without specifying a timeframe.
But Axios quoted an American source familiar with the matter as saying that “Trump is prepared to give the Iranians an additional three to five days for the ceasefire, to give them the opportunity to sort things out. The ceasefire will not be open-ended.”
According to what the website also quoted from three American officials, President Trump’s goal is to give Iranian officials “a short window to unite behind a coherent counter-offer, otherwise the ceasefire will end.”
Pakistan, the mediator in these talks, had spent Tuesday in a strenuous effort with both the American and Iranian sides to persuade them to come to Islamabad and resume the second round, until the extension of the deadline was announced just hours before it was due to expire, according to the timetable announced by Pakistani officials.
After Trump announced the extension of the deadline, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his hope that both sides would adhere to the ceasefire until they hold a second round of talks in Islamabad leading to a comprehensive peace agreement.
In the context of Pakistan’s ongoing efforts, Sharif met on Wednesday with the Iranian ambassador to Islamabad, Reza Amiri-Moghaddam, where they discussed the latest developments regarding the extension of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
However, the ceasefire agreement does not yet extend to the dispute over freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz or the lifting of the blockade, which is Iran's condition for resuming talks. On Wednesday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard seized two foreign vessels in the strait, claiming one was linked to Israel and that both were "threatening maritime security."
Tags:
america
