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No talks decision
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran has “not yet made a decision to restart negotiations with the United States,” while mediators from Qatar and Pakistan exchange messages without amounting to negotiations.
“We have not yet made a decision to restart negotiations with the United States”
Araghchi said the Islamabad memorandum was “the end of the war, not a ceasefire,” and he accused the United States of violating it by resuming hostilities.
He also said Iran is working separately with Oman on a technical process to establish new routes for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that “the routes that previously existed are no longer functional.”
Araghchi warned that whether shipping traffic resumes depends on conditions the United States must adhere to, as US President Donald Trump said he would soon declare the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi rejected the claim, writing that the strait “has been Iranian, is Iranian, and will remain Iranian.”
Pressure and dispute
As Iran and the United States trade statements over the Strait of Hormuz, the dispute remains unresolved, with Iran saying it will control when the strait opens while CENTCOM says US forces have redirected 62 commercial vessels under the blockade.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States will soon apply new economic measures, describing “a combination of economic isolation the world has never seen before” alongside “the continued blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Marc Ginsberg, a former US ambassador and White House Middle East policy adviser, told Al Jazeera that the situation is “sort of a game of economic chicken,” adding “I think in the end, the administration’s going to cave before the Iranian government does.”
France 24 reported that Trump asked American households to endure the economic blow as he escalated tensions, quoting him saying “After we just defeat Iran... I will soon declare the Strait of Hormuz U.S. territory.”
France 24 also quoted Kazem Gharibabadi responding on X that “This strait will open and close only under Iran’s command,” and that Iran would continue to enforce the blockade.
What comes next
With the diplomatic track still stalled, Araghchi said Qatar and Pakistan mediators “continue to exchange messages and remain in contact with us,” but he stressed that “does not mean negotiations.”
“No decision has yet been made to resume talks with the United States”
He said the technical talks with Oman on shipping lanes could conclude soon, describing them as “a completely separate matter, a technical and technical discussion” from any discussions with Washington.
The TRT World report said the 60-day window in the Islamabad memorandum was intended as a window for negotiations aimed at reaching a final agreement, not as the duration of a ceasefire.
In parallel, Iran International reported that the deadline for the ceasefire set for August 17 approaches, with a senior White House official describing the situation between Washington and Tehran as “frozen.”
Iran International said the memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 set a negotiation period of 60 days to reach a final settlement, making the final hours before the deadline crucial for whether the parties extend the truce or enter a new phase of escalation.
