Despite a pause in fighting in West Asia, Iran’s foreign ministry has rejected any negotiations with the United States, with Tehran also asserting its control over the Strait of Hormuz. This came after mediators signalled progress in negotiations, as neither US or Iran reported carrying out any strikes for three straight days.
Event Context
Iran’s foreign ministry on Monday said it was not currently involved in any negotiations with the United States regarding the ceasefire, despite a halt in strikes from both sides, AFP reported.
“At present, we are not engaged in any negotiations with the United States,” the ministry’s spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said at a weekly press briefing. Iran had earlier said it would pause its own attacks for as long as the US pause on bombing continues.
Also Read | With the US suddenly halting attacks, what’s Iran thinking? ‘More scepticism than optimism’
📌Trump, Netanyahu to meet
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to travel to United States on Tuesday to meet Trump in Washington, his office has said. This would be their first meeting since the beginning of the US-Israel offensive against Iran last year. They last met in February 2025, weeks before they launched the war on Iran which killed top Iranian leaders, including then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Speaking to Fox News, Netanyahu said he fully backed Trump’s efforts to shut down Iran’s nuclear programme. “If he can do so without returning to intense military fighting, that’s fine. Why not? But one way or the other, they have to end their nuclear programme, and with a deal or without a deal, that has to come to an end,” Netanyahu said.
📌Iran insists on Hormuz control
Iran has insisted that the Strait of Hormuz – which remains one of its primary points of contention with US – is under their control. Iran insists on retaining control over the management of the Strait of Hormuz, including the collection of service fees.
US-Iran war: Latest developments
Akramania suggested Washington was reassessing its strategy, with the claim that it is allegedly under Israeli influence. “The situation for America is chaotic and undesirable, and they failed to achieve their goals in the Strait of Hormuz and in weakening Iran,” he said.
Team Analysis
US President Donald Trump halted the bombing campaign against Tehran over the weekend following 13 successive nights of strikes, which had led Iran to retaliate on US bases in the region in response. After the halt in strikes, the focus is now on the uncertainty regarding the resumption of negotiations between Washington and Tehran, the control of Strait of Hormuz, and the upcoming meeting between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
This comes even as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards turned back multiple vessels in recent days, including six ships on Monday that allegedly attempted to transit the strait outside the route designated by the Islamic republic, AFP reported.
Also Read | ‘Far more than we need’: Trump on concerns over US’s shrinking munition stock amid war with Iran
📌‘Fully prepared for all scenarios’, says Iran Army
source
The Iranian Army said they were “fully prepared for all scenarios”, adding that they had strengthened their air defence capabilities. Iran Army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia said that the US had failed to achieve its objectives during the conflict, according to ISNA news agency.
Iran on Monday said the US was involved in recent talks with Oman over the administration of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. “These talks have no connection with the United States. They are a bilateral matter between Iran and Oman, and they are continuing,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, according to AFP.
Deputy foreign ministers of Iran and Oman held talks on Friday and Saturday on “common principles and operational mechanisms” to ensure the safe passage of shipping through the strait.
