Iran25 September, 20262 min read
Masoud Pezeshkian Says Iran No Longer Trusts Washington Talks Over Strait Of Hormuz
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says Tehran no longer trusts talks with Washington. Tehran demands Hormuz reopening within seven days and sanctions relief.
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Pezeshkian rejects US trust
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran no longer trusts negotiations with Washington, arguing that previous diplomatic efforts were followed by military strikes and economic sanctions. Pezeshkian told Qatar-based Al Jazeera that Iran was awaiting a US response to a proposal aimed at ending the ongoing US-Israel conflict with Iran and restoring shipping through the Strait of Hormuz within seven days.
Pezeshkian rejected claims that Iran disrupted commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, saying, "The US closed the routes before us," and he said commercial shipping could return to normal if an agreement ended the conflict. Pezeshkian said Qatar and Pakistan were acting as intermediaries passing messages between Tehran and Washington, and he said the initiative remained linked to a memorandum of understanding reached in June that Iran wanted Washington to clarify after it lapsed.
Araghchi in New York
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a series of meetings on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, engaging officials including Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and British Foreign Secretary Edward Miliband. Araghchi told Lavrov about Iran-Oman discussions for a safe maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz, and he attributed disruption of maritime traffic and insecurity to US and Israeli military actions.
Araghchi also criticized Britain’s political and military support for Israel, and he called on London and other European governments to reconsider policies contributing to instability in West Asia. Araghchi warned with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski against linking the Ukraine conflict to developments in West Asia, urging European governments to address security challenges on their own continent while taking positions based on international law.
Phased deal and midterm risk
US and Iranian negotiators in New York are exploring a phased path out of war that would involve Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz and Washington lifting its economic blockade of Iran, sources close to the talks said. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that "One way forward would be to solve the crisis in stages," with the first stage ending the blockade and reopening Hormuz, and the official said Tehran could potentially gain access to frozen assets.
“One way forward would be to solve the crisis in stages.”
A White House official said that while "Iran is desperate for a deal, President Trump holds all the cards and will make whatever decision is best for the United States," and the official said the US was in a "very strong position" with control of the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters also reported that Trump has said he thinks the US and Iran could reach a deal after midterm elections to Congress on November 3, while former US negotiator Dennis Ross said he saw only a 30% chance of an agreement being reached before the vote.