Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said on Saturday that Tehran had “kept its word” regarding the ceasefire with the United States. His reaction came after Donald Trump insisted that the ceasefire was over, although he acknowledged that negotiations with the Islamic Republic were continuing.
In a post on X, Araghchi wrote that “Iran has so far kept its word, unlike the so-called US Treasury Secretary, who is violating paragraph 9 of the Memorandum of Understanding,” referring to the section of the memorandum related to the non-deployment of additional US forces in the region.
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In the same post on X, Iran’s top diplomat also stressed that “there can be no respect unless it is mutual.”
Donald Trump said again on Friday that the ceasefire had “ended,” while at the same time acknowledging the continuation of talks with Tehran.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue the discussions,” he said. However, the spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry immediately clarified that Tehran “has made no such request,” while also announcing that Araghchi would travel to Oman on Saturday to discuss the issue of the Strait of Hormuz.
Clashes between Iran and the United States resumed last Tuesday, in what are considered the most significant since the agreement signed on June 17, which aimed to find a final solution to the war that began on February 28 with the Israeli-American attack against Iran.
Tehran allows only one maritime lane along its coastline and rules out any return to the pre-war situation, when navigation through the Strait was free. Normally, one-fifth of the world’s hydrocarbons were transported through it. The United States struck Iran for two consecutive nights after accusing Tehran of attacks on three commercial ships in the Strait. In response, Iran targeted the Gulf countries: Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.
According to US officials, Iran admitted that “a group of extremists out of control” tried to undermine the peace negotiations and the ceasefire by attacking commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, provoking the US response.
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal writes that the Trump administration considers reaching a nuclear deal with Iran increasingly unlikely. The newspaper cited an administration official, according to whom Iran is expected in the coming hours to issue a public statement declaring that the Strait of Hormuz is open and promising not to fire on ships. According to the same official, the absence of action in this direction could bring serious consequences. This analysis appears to suggest a possible shift in Iranian strategy.
