Following US President Donald Trump’s remarks on Friday regarding his openness to continuing talks with Iran despite the recent surge in hostilities between the two countries, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson warned of “reciprocal action” against any breach of commitments by Washington DC.
This row of threats comes after tit-for-tat strikes which put the signed 14-point memorandum of understanding between the two parties at risk.
The fragile pause in fighting reached a risky point this week with fresh exchange of missiles.
“Reciprocal action”
Following resumed attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and on US military sites in Gulf states, President Trump declared the ceasefire deal with Iran to be over but was open to continuing talks.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks.’ We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Friday.
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Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson has since responded to President Trump’s comments by denying any claims of “requesting talks” with the US and also warned of “retaliatory action” if the commitment was breached, as cited by state television. In addition, Iran revealed that they had merely agreed to host Qatari mediators in the country, refuting President Trump’s claims. CNN cited a diplomat familiar with the matter stating that the mediatory visit was planned in coordination with the United States.
Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, weighed in on the matter by stating they had “zero trust” in the US, a fact that was openly stated to Vice President JD Vance during negotiations between the two countries.
“During the negotiations, I made it clear to the Vice President of the United States that we have zero trust in you,” he stated in a Telegram post, as per news agency ANI. “In my view, only those prepared for war can negotiate with the U.S. We have never ceased our preparations to defend our country. The moment the Americans betray any understanding, we are prepared for a full-scale defence; we will stand firmly against them and will claim the rights of the Iranian nation.”
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Toll-free passage through Hormuz
At the centre of the current dispute is the United States’ demand for Iran to publicly declare its intention to attack on ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical navigational waterway for fuel, in addition to keeping the transit tax-free as it was before the war started, US officials revealed on Friday, as per news agency Reuters’s reports.
“What we’re demanding is that the Iranians issue a public statement that acknowledges all channels of the Strait of Hormuz are open and they’re not shooting at ships anymore. They’re either going to give us that statement or we’re not having a good outcome for them,” one official said, as per news agency Reuters.
Iran on the other hand insists that though it may not charge a direct toll on transiting ships, some amount would have to be redeemed for navigational and operational services provided by their country in the strait, the terms of which are currently under discussion with Oman.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi is scheduled to visit Oman in order to discuss arrangements for the safe passage of ships, ISNA said, citing the foreign ministry spokesperson.
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Hostilities between the two sides resumed last week when US blamed Iran for attacking ships transiting through the strait, including the latest one on three Qatari and Saudi ones. Iran, in turn, attacked U.S. military sites in Gulf states on Thursday.
