In a major development in the ongoing Middle East war between the US-Israel front and Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has ruled out ceasefire as a viable option to end the war.
During a broadcast interview with Japanese agency Kyodo, the Foreign Minister underlined that Iran does not want a ceasefire but remains open for talks to end the war. However, he added that, the country wants a "complete" end to the conflict with guarantees, and will defend itself if need be.
Addressing the issue of Strait of Hormuz blockade, Araghchi claimed that the prime maritime channel is "open."
The Foreign Minister's comments come at a time when the United States has been sending out mixed signals regarding their stance on the conflict.
At one end, reports of America planning to deploy potential ground troops in Iran have been surfacing; On the other end, Trump made claims of wanting to "wind down" the Iran war on Friday. He said that Washington is very close to meeting its objectives in the gulf in a social media post.
“We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East,” Trump said in a social-media post on Friday.
The objectives include “Completely degrading” Iran's missile capabilities, “destroying” the country's defense industrial base, eliminating their navy and air force, never allowing Tehran to get close to a “Nuclear Capability” and protecting Middle Eastern allies.
America Eases Sanctions On Iranian Oil... Temporarily
The United States has temporarily eased sanctions on Iranian oil at sea to curb the rally in crude oil prices with IRGC's Strait of Hormuz Blockade in place.
Israel and America's war with Iran entered into its 22nd day on Saturday, and with it strain on the narrow Hormuz channel, reponsible for transit of 20% of global oil, continued.
The conditional authorisation by US Treasury permits the delivery and sale of Iranian crude oil and other petroleum products loaded onto ships before March 20. In a statement on Friday, the Treasury outlined that the allowance is valid till April 19.
On Thursday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had announced that a lift in sanctions, which follows suit from easing of curbs on Russian oil at sea, was under consideration.
Iran's strategic blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has caused the biggest ever oil disruption in history, causing a crunch in supply and a sharp rise in crude oil prices across the globe.
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