DUBAI/WASHINGTON — Efforts to revive an interim agreement aimed at ending the war between Iran and the United States have stalled, with Tehran saying there has been no progress toward restoring the deal and insisting that Washington must first return to its commitments under the pact.
A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Wednesday that there had been no progress in discussions to revive the agreement reached in June or establish a timetable for implementing its provisions. Iran also said there have been no talks on extending the ceasefire and rejected reports that the existing arrangement had been extended.
The June agreement was intended to provide an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations and establish a framework for fulfilling commitments by both sides. However, the arrangement quickly unraveled, with U.S. President Donald Trump declaring the agreement over on July 7. Iran subsequently suspended its participation.
Tehran maintains that Washington violated the agreement shortly after it was signed and is demanding that the United States return to the original terms before negotiations can resume. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said earlier this month that Iran and the United States were not directly engaged in talks, although messages continued to pass through intermediaries.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the biggest obstacles. The waterway is a critical route for international energy shipments, and its continued disruption has heightened concerns over global oil and gas supplies.
Washington has accused Iran of preventing the reopening of the strait, while Tehran says the United States has failed to meet its own obligations, including lifting restrictions and releasing Iranian assets. Iran has also insisted that the waterway will not fully reopen until its conditions are met.
The dispute over Hormuz intensified Thursday as Iranian and U.S. officials issued competing claims over control of the strategic waterway. Iran’s Basij paramilitary leader, Hossein Taeb, said the strait remained under Iranian control, while the United States has maintained that it has the ability to ensure freedom of navigation.
The competing claims come after months of uncertainty over shipping through the strait. Iran has been working with Oman on arrangements for the safe passage of vessels, including discussions over shipping routes. Tehran has stressed, however, that an agreement with Oman on shipping arrangements would not automatically mean the full reopening of the waterway.
There had been signs earlier this month that mediators might be making progress. Qatar said on August 4 that mediators had made progress in efforts to end the conflict, while officials involved in the diplomatic effort indicated that discussions over Hormuz were advancing.
Those hopes have since weakened. Iran’s position remains that the United States must meet its obligations under the June agreement before Tehran will agree to broader negotiations or a full reopening of the strait. Washington, meanwhile, continues to press for unrestricted navigation and an agreement that addresses the wider conflict.
Pakistan and Qatar have been among the countries involved in mediation efforts, while Oman has played a central role in discussions concerning the Strait of Hormuz. The negotiations are being conducted largely through intermediaries rather than direct talks between Tehran and Washington.
For now, the diplomatic process remains stuck over the same fundamental issues that have undermined previous attempts at a settlement, including the terms of the ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the obligations each side says the other must fulfill.
With the waterway still at the center of the dispute, prospects for a quick revival of the interim peace arrangement remain uncertain.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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