US-Iran talks hit new impasse as MoU's 60-day deadline expires with no deal

The 60-day window established in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the United States and Iran in June expired on Monday. During that period, the two sides were supposed to try to reach a broader and final agreement.On Monday afternoon, Saudi news channel Al Arabiya reported that the US and Iran have agreed to extend a 60-day ceasefire.The deadline passed without a breakthrough, and Washington and Tehran remain divided over the main issues, particularly the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear program.US President Donald Trump announced in a post on Truth Social after the MoU's expiration that the "number one Goal" was to prevent Iran from having "in any way, shape, or form, a Nuclear Weapon."According to a senior Iranian official who spoke with reporters, there are no talks about extending the 60-day period.His comments came in response to a report by Turkey's Anadolu news agency, which cited sources in the Pakistani government claiming that Tehran and Washington had agreed to extend the period."There are no talks about an extension," the Iranian official said, claiming that the United States violated the interim agreement just 48 hours after it was reached and later withdrew from it.According to the official, one of the issues being conveyed through mediators is Iran's demand that the United States return to the interim agreement and set a timetable for fulfilling its commitments. "There has been no progress whatsoever on this issue," he said.The MoU signed in June declared an "immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts," but the arrangement quickly began to unravel. On July 7, Trump said the agreement was "over," while Tehran repeatedly accused Washington of violating its commitments.Ceasefire was meant to remain in effectThe 60-day period was not intended to mark a point at which the ceasefire would automatically end. Rather, it was an extendable period during which the United States and Iran were expected to reach a final agreement covering much broader issues, including the future of Iran's nuclear program.The ceasefire was also supposed to remain in effect throughout that period.However, major differences between the sides remained. Among the conditions considered essential for moving to the next stage of negotiations were a ceasefire in Lebanon, freedom of navigation in the Gulf, and measures that would allow Iran to sell oil.Talks also reached a deadlock over control of the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran insists that the vital shipping route will remain closed as long as the United States does not change its conduct and accept Iran's conditions for ending the war, including the release of Iranian funds frozen abroad.Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has also sharpened his rhetoric toward Trump in recent days."The Strait of Hormuz belonged to Iran in the past, it belongs to Iran today, and it will remain Iranian territory in the future," he wrote. "It cannot be taken over through tweets, aircraft carriers, orders, or election speeches."According to him, "This strait will open and close only on Iran's orders. As long as the United States refuses to accept the reality of defeat and continues to live in illusions, Iran will continue its blockade."Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also made clear that the exchange of messages does not indicate that talks have resumed. According to him, Iran and the United States are not currently negotiating, and Tehran will not return to the table as long as Washington continues, in Iran's view, to violate the interim agreement. Qatar and Pakistan, however, continue to convey messages between the two sides.Trump seeking to 'strangle' Iran economically Meanwhile, Trump is seeking to strangle Iran economically and allow the situation to die slowly without any significant exchange of fire. The Iranians, at least according to their propaganda apparatus, say they are prepared for a war of attrition and have, in their words, endless patience.From Trump's perspective, he has closed the strait, leaving no traffic to enter or leave Iran. The Iranians, meanwhile, claim that they control the strait.The expiration of the 60-day window comes as the Strait of Hormuz remains at the center of the confrontation. Since the war began on February 28, Iran has effectively closed the strait, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas previously passed.As August 17 began, no diplomatic breakthrough had been achieved, and no final agreement had been reached. The clock set in June reached zero, while nearly all of the disputes that led to the 60-day framework remained unresolved.