Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for an end to what he describes as a state of “neither war nor peace” with the United States as negotiators seek an agreement to end the war.
Pezeshkian said on Saturday that Iran was in a position of strength and he believed it was the right time to reach an agreement with the US.
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The president’s remarks came as Iran and Oman pursue an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway through which about one-fifth of global oil shipments transited in peacetime.
Tehran has de facto imposed a blockade of the strait since the US and Israel began a war on Iran on February ۲۸, which has killed more than ۳,۴۰۰ people.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday said discussions with Oman over transit and management of the strait were “approaching the final stages” but added that the reopening of Hormuz “is subject to other conditions and compensation for the violation” of the June memorandum of understanding (MoU) that Iran signed with the US.
He denied that Iran was negotiating with the US, saying they were merely “exchanging messages” via intermediaries.
So is Pezeshkian trying to push Iran towards a deal, and what does his statement mean?
What did Pezeshkian say?
The Iranian president said he believed now was the best time for an agreement. “There is cohesion, strength and unity in the country, and as far as I know, Iran is considered victorious and powerful in this war,” he told Iranian media.
Pezeshkian also said Iran and Washington should have set up a channel to address ceasefire violations.
“In any case, violations occur in every memorandum of understanding. In principle, a team should have been formed to address violations back then rather than to fight,” he said.
“We need to see how to resolve them now, if a solution is possible, which is currently being worked on in the Oman negotiations. God willing, we will reach a point where we can get out of this state of neither war nor peace.”
This past week, Iran and Oman reportedly made significant progress towards an arrangement under which Iran would oversee vessels entering the Gulf while Oman would manage traffic heading out.
Araghchi told reporters on Saturday that the ongoing talks are about establishing a “temporary route” in the Strait of Hormuz and said, “We’re almost very close to the result.”
On Thursday, Tehran said it had agreed coordinates for new shipping routes through the strait with Oman.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also said on Saturday that reopening the Strait of Hormuz depended on Washington accepting Iran’s conditions.
“Whenever the United States accepts Iran’s conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will certainly be reopened,” IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi was quoted as saying by the semiofficial Tasnim News Agency.
What are Tehran’s conditions in talks with the US?
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on Saturday announced new conditions, potentially complicating efforts to reopen Hormuz and bring an eventual end to the war.
Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of the council, said the strait would remain closed until Washington “corrects its behaviour”, according to a report by Iran’s state broadcaster, IRIB.
The six conditions listed by the Supreme National Security Council include:
- Ending US threats against Iran and what Zolghadr described as insults to Iran’s national and religious values
- Permanently halting attacks on Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq
- Lifting the US naval blockade on Iran and withdrawing US naval and air forces from around the country
- Paying compensation for damage caused by what he called two “imposed wars”
- Lifting of global sanctions
- Unconditionally releasing frozen Iranian assets
The conditions significantly broaden the terms Iran says must be met before Hormuz can reopen, linking the waterway to a wider set of political, military and economic demands than those outlined in the June MoU.
Notably, the conditions explicitly mention Palestine, Yemen and Iraq alongside Lebanon in calling for an end to attacks against Iran and its allies.
What are the key sticking points?
Strait of Hormuz
The strait is the most immediate sticking point.
An Iran-Oman arrangement could allow shipping to resume, but the US opposes giving Iran unilateral control over the waterway. Washington has also objected to proposed fees associated with the arrangement.
Iran, meanwhile, sees control over shipping as a major source of leverage.
Transit through Hormuz has dropped significantly as Iran targets ships it accuses of skirting its preferred route through Iranian waters.
On Saturday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said a ship was hit by a projectile off Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire that was extinguished but no casualties. It was unclear who carried out the attack.
Sanctions and economic pressure
Sanctions and the US blockade are another major obstacle.
For Tehran, reopening Hormuz without securing meaningful economic relief would mean giving up one of its strongest bargaining tools and receiving less in return.
Araghchi said on Saturday that compensation from the US for war damage must be met before the strait is reopened in addition to other conditions.
