The talks between the United States and Iran to revive their June agreement towards ending the Middle East conflict remains stalled. Both sides have accused each other of violating its terms, and US President Donald Trump's latest criticism of Iran's leaders has further dimmed hopes of a breakthrough, Reuters reported on Thursday.
A senior Iranian source has told Reuters that no progress had been made toward a permanent end to the Gulf war. The situation comes as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, while attacks on shipping on Tuesday have renewed market fears.
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Where The Talks Stand?
The deal agreed in June declared an "immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts.” By July 7, Trump declared that the agreement was “over” and the Iranian government also confirmed a week later that it had been “suspended”.
The US has accused Iran of failing to honour an agreement under the deal to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping route. The critical route, disrupted since the war first began in February end, is responsible for 20% of global oil flow. The consequence of this disruption has been seen on energy prices across the world, mounting pressure on Trump to quickly resolve the issue.
On the other hand, Tehran says Washington has reneged on its commitments, including lifting the blockade of Iranian ports and releasing frozen Iranian assets.
"One of the issues that is being discussed via mediators is the US returning to the interim agreement and defining a time frame for implementing the commitments. There has been absolutely no progress on this issue," the Iranian source told Reuters.
A day ago, Trump declared that the US has “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz, but Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority said that the waterway remains blocked. Trump also accused Iran of being “all talk and no action” in a Truth Social post.
What Happens Now?
The June interim ceasefire agreement gave Iran and the United States 60 days to reach a final deal to stop the war. The agreement was supposed to be extendable by mutual consent.
However, an Iranian source rejected a Wednesday report by Turkey's Anadolu news agency that the two sides had agreed, through Pakistani mediation, to extend the deadline.
“There is no talk of an extension,” the source told Reuters, arguing that the period never took effect because Washington violated the agreement within 48 hours and withdrew days later.
As a result, Tehran as of now sees no deadline to extend the ceasefire, which is supposed to expire on Aug. 17. As per Iran, Tehran says the vital shipping route will remain closed until Washington accepts its conditions for ending the war, including the unfreezing of Iranian assets held overseas.
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