Iranʼs chief negotiator discusses a peace deal with the United States with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed al-Thani.
Reuters reports this, citing an official.
According to him, the main topic of conversation is the Strait of Hormuz and enriched uranium reserves. At the same time, Tehran and Washington have differences regarding the peace agreement, in particular regarding the situation in Lebanon and Iranʼs demands to lift sanctions and unfreeze assets from oil sales.
Earlier today, Japanese newspaper Nikkei, citing a source in the Middle East, reported that Iran will open the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days of Tehran and Washington signing a peace deal. A key condition for the deal is that the United States must recognize Iranʼs Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
War in the Middle East and negotiations between Iran and the US
On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials.
Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, began shelling Arab countries where US bases are located, and Israel. The war also halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean. It was through it that almost a fifth of the worldʼs oil exports passed — tens of millions of barrels per day.
On April 8, the parties agreed to a two-week ceasefire. On April 13, the United States began a naval blockade of Iranian ports, demanding the complete unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz for all ships.
On April 17, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, after which Iran unblocked the Strait of Hormuz. However, on April 18, Iran reported that it was again blocking the Strait of Hormuz due to the US naval blockade. On the same day, Iran fired on several ships attempting to pass through the strait.
On April 21, Trump tweeted that he had extended the ceasefire with Iran until the Iranians submitted their proposals and concluded discussions. And on May 1, Axios reported, citing a letter from Trump to House Speaker Mike Johnson, that Trump considered the war over.
Despite this, on May 8, Iran accused the US of violating the ceasefire by attacking two ships in the Strait of Hormuz and striking civilian areas. But there is no talk of a breakdown yet.
Tehran this week submitted new proposals to Washington to end the war, but they included points that Trump had previously rejected. This was followed by reports that the US and Israel were preparing to resume strikes on Iran, but Trump said he was putting the idea on hold.
Iran responded and threatened to expand the war beyond the Middle East if the US resumed attacks.
Iran and the US are currently negotiating a peace agreement.
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