Diplomatic efforts to end the war in the Middle East have stalled as the conflict approaches its eighth month. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that no discussions with Iran were taking place or planned, while Tehran reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz remained closed.
Although fighting has eased significantly since the opening weeks, when the US and Israel carried out intense air strikes and Iran launched retaliatory attacks, tensions remain high across the region.
UAE suspends trade with Iran
The United Arab Emirates accused Iran on Tuesday of firing two ballistic missiles towards the country. Both fell into the sea, with the UAE saying their intended target was “international shipping”.
Following the accusation, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the suspension until further notice of all commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied that any Iranian missiles had been launched towards the UAE and “categorically rejected” the allegations.
Trump rejects claims that talks are under way
Trump said no discussions were taking place with Iran and none were planned. In a post on Truth Social, he added that the US naval blockade remained fully in force and effective, while insisting that the Strait was open and operational and that all sea mines had been cleared or detonated.
His statement sharply contradicted comments made a day earlier by his special envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who told Fox News that “very positive” talks were under way.
An AFP source on the US side said the negotiations had been suspended. Trump reportedly instructed his teams not to continue dialogue with Iran until Tehran accepted Washington’s positions.
Iran sets out its conditions
The Iranian authorities have given no indication that they intend to back down.
Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, insisted on Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz would not reopen until the US fulfilled commitments made under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed by the presidents of the two countries.
Ghalibaf said Washington believed greater pressure would force Iran into concessions that had never formed part of the agreement. Calling the Trump administration “a bunch of clowns”, he said it would not be able to “pull a rabbit out of the hat”.
The June agreement established a renewable 60-day period for negotiations aimed at resolving all outstanding disputes. That period expired on Monday. The agreement also included a ceasefire, but the process quickly went off track.
Iran’s stated conditions include the lifting of the US naval blockade, the immediate release of frozen Iranian assets, the removal of the oil embargo and an end to military operations on all fronts.
Shipping remains below pre-war levels
Trump has also begun promoting the idea that the Strait of Hormuz should become “US territory”. On Tuesday, he reposted on Truth Social a map showing the strategic sea route with the caption “new US territory”.
Despite his claims that the Strait is open and operating, shipping traffic remains far below pre-war levels.
Counting the vessels passing through the waterway has also become more difficult, as some ships switch off the transponders that broadcast their locations when attempting the crossing.
US relies on economic pressure
Following the US-Israeli attack on Iran on 28 February, Tehran retaliated by striking neighbouring countries allied with Washington and closing the Strait of Hormuz, a route of strategic importance to the global energy trade.
The US, meanwhile, has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports in the Gulf.
Despite his rhetoric on Hormuz and his threat on Monday to “bomb” Oman, Trump has so far appeared to favour a wait-and-see approach.
The war against Iran is causing growing discontent among many Americans. A resumption of US military operations is also complicated by the depletion of stocks of precision-guided weapons and air-defence missiles, according to reports in the US media.
The Trump administration is therefore increasingly relying on the longer-term effects of economic pressure through the blockade of Iranian ports and sanctions that Washington is preparing to expand further.
Iran and Oman discuss future of the Strait
Qatar, one of the mediators between Washington and Tehran, said on Tuesday that an agreement between Iran and Oman could “facilitate” the resumption of negotiations aimed at ending the war.
Iran and Oman, whose coastlines flank the Strait of Hormuz, have been discussing its future management for several weeks. According to Tehran, the geographical coordinates that ships would be required to follow when entering and leaving the waterway have been approved by both Tehran and Muscat.
Iran intends to impose charges for services provided along the sea route. The Islamic Republic has also been targeting ships attempting to pass through the Strait without its permission, while the US and the region’s oil-exporting monarchies reject the proposed fees.
Source: AMNA
