Tehran, Iran – Iranian authorities say a continued United States naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz could end the current pause in fighting as mediators try to secure a diplomatic solution. The comments come after the US military said its naval blockade has “completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea” and will continue amid the two-week ceasefire declared a week ago. US President Donald Trump told Fox News that the war is “close to over” and hinted at a second round of face-to-face talks with Iran in Pakistan in the coming days, but US media have also reported that thousands more American soldiers have been sent to the Middle East on warships.
Vice President JD Vance is expected to lead the US delegation if a second round of talks does materialise, but no date has been finalised. Pakistan’s military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, arrived in Iran on Wednesday as part of a Pakistani delegation after “numerous messages” were exchanged with the US through mediators since the Iranian delegation returned from Islamabad on Sunday. The goal of any potential future talks will be to “fully cease the war and realise the rights of Iran” in addition to lifting the sanctions imposed on the country, Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters.
He also emphasised that Iran has not and will not seek a nuclear weapon but insists on its right to pursue nuclear energy for civilian purposes under United Nations safeguards. He said the level and type of enrichment can be negotiated. Baghaei also renewed Iran’s criticism of Rafael Grossi, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, for statements and reports about Iran’s nuclear programme that the country believes paved the way for Israel’s 12-day war in June and the current war that the US and Israel started on February 28.
On Wednesday, Iran’s parliament speaker and former IRGC and police commander Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led the Iranian delegation at the weekend talks in Pakistan, held a rare phone call with United Arab Emirates Vice President Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. They discussed “regional developments and ways to de-escalate tensions in the region”, according to the UAE’s WAM news agency. The UAE and other Gulf Arab states came under heavy Iranian attack before the ceasefire with Iran saying it was targeting the US military presence in those countries.
Iranian authorities have maintained a defiant approach and have said their supporters, who have taken to the streets at night in a show of strength over the past six weeks, will not be happy if major concessions are given on uranium enrichment and the Strait of Hormuz. Messages from Iran’s hardline-controlled state television and many members of parliament have been adamantly against negotiations with Washington, pushing the narrative that they believe Iran has the upper hand after surviving 40 days of war with military superpowers. Speaking to supporters gathered on Tuesday night on the streets of Saveh, southwest of Tehran, parliament’s deputy speaker, Ali Nikzad, said Iran considers control over the Strait of Hormuz a sovereign and legal matter.
Esmaeil Kowsari, a member of parliament’s national security commission and former senior IRGC commander, said it would be “impossible” for the government to accept “even one clause” of the 15 points delineated by the Trump administration to achieve peace. We know the Americans are not trustworthy and will not remain committed to agreements,” he told the state-run IRNA news agency. For his part, President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Tehran will continue dialogue within the framework of international law and has blamed Washington for “excessive demands” that have derailed any agreement, including on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
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