In a sharp blow to Iran-US diplomatic breakthrough, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh announced Saturday that Iranian officials will have no more talks with the US until a shared framework is agreed upon. No date has been set for further peace talks with the United States, Khatibzadeh said, speaking from the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
He insisted that Tehran will not return to the negotiating table until Washington agrees to the guarantees under a mutually agreed framework, which is Iran’s rights under international law. The Iranian deputy FM added that while both sides made some progress during the highest-level negotiations in Islamabad last weekend, several points of contention remain in agreeing to a ceasefire.
“Until we agree on the framework, we cannot set the date,” Khatibzadeh told reporters. He continued that Iran is seeking a “finalised framework of understanding” to prevent negotiations from being used as a “pretext for another round of escalation.”
Fragile “shipping truce” at the Strait of Hormuz collapses
Iranian official’s statement in Antalya follows a chaotic 24 hours in the Persian Gulf, where a fragile “shipping truce” at the Strait of Hormuz collapsed after US President Donald Trump vowed to maintain a total naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Iranian rhetoric indicating a deadlock in future negotiations underscores a deep-seated mistrust in Tehran for Washington. Central to Iran’s demands ahead of the conclusion of the fragile two-week ceasefire is the insistence that any further discussion with the US delegation on Iran must be rooted in international law.
Iranian military, on Saturday, reinstated the closure of the crucial Hormuz waterway after agreeing to allow passage to the commercial ships yesterday, citing the US blockade of the Iranian ports, which Tehran views as an illegal act of war.
“Americans cannot impose their will to do a siege over Iran while Iran, with good intentions, is trying to facilitate safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” Khatibzadeh added, speaking to the reporters on the sidelines of the Turkiye forum.
The reversal of the Hormuz blockade and the diplomatic stalemate in the Iran-US negotiations have immediate and dire consequences for global energy markets, as shipping has stalled in the vital maritime chokepoint. Hours before Khatibzadeh’s remarks, Iran’s central military command announced it was reimposing “strict management” over the Strait of Hormuz and would not allow any vessel to transit.
Trump, in a separate hardened rhetoric, declared that the US blockade on Iranian ports would remain in “full force” and opening the Hormuz waterway wouldn’t guarantee a ceasefire. Ship-tracking data showed tankers turning away from the 21-mile-wide chokepoint as the IRGC resumed control, effectively ending a brief window of unhindered transit.
While Tehran is demanding an immediate end to the naval siege at its ports, Washington is eyeing a comprehensive new treaty that completely dismantles Iran’s nuclear program and missile arsenal before it lifts the port blockade.
