Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday the U.S. must adhere to its “commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding” before Tehran will agree to reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.
The U.S. and Iran signed the Pakistani-mediated memorandum in June after weeks of back-channel diplomacy. The agreement mandated a temporary ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and at least 60 days of direct negotiations between the two countries.
The memorandum was considered defunct by all sides before its expiration last month amid renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran.
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Mr. Araghchi said a high-level meeting in Oman on Monday between Iran and several Persian Gulf nations would focus on new commercial shipping lanes through the strait.
Oman and Iran are the two primary states bordering the Strait of Hormuz and will present the details of a proposed system to the Gulf states. Representatives of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Iraq are expected to attend the briefing.
Mr. Araghchi said Tehran believes the responsibility for ensuring regional security and stability in the Gulf belongs to the countries of the region.
“We hope these talks will pave the way for future consultations on issues of concern to the countries of the region,” he said, according to the state-run Press TV network.
Mr. Araghchi said the expected Iran-Oman agreement won’t trigger the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. It sets out the framework for maritime traffic should the conditions be met for reopening the strait, he said.
On Sunday, President Trump was indifferent to the proposed meeting between Iran and the Gulf States to discuss the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing conflict between Tehran and Washington.
“I don’t care. That’s up to them. That’s fine,” Mr. Trump told reporters during a visit to Ireland for the Amgen Irish Open at the Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonberg.
Mr. Trump said the war will likely end this year, possibly just after the midterm elections in November. That could mean a major drop in domestic oil prices, he said.
“Iran wants to make a deal so badly. They’re calling constantly; they want to make a deal,” Mr. Trump said.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Friday that Iran and Oman have engaged in direct negotiations for nearly three months about safe navigation through the strait.
He described the Iran-Oman initiative as an important step toward building trust and cooperation among regional countries and “strengthening common regional security away from external interference.”
A spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the White House thought Iran would bow before the U.S. military power assembled in the region. Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi told the state-controlled Mehr News Agency on Sunday that the Trump administration miscalculated.
“A major part of America’s power rests on displaying its military capabilities. They imagined that the mere presence of a naval fleet and aircraft carriers would force Iran to retreat,” Gen. Mohebbi said. “But for every step they took forward, they were forced to take several back.”
The decade-long conflict in Yemen between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-supported government forces has escalated over the past week. The United Nations estimated that 46,000 people have been displaced since the fighting resumed after months of rising tensions.
The conflict intensified Sunday when government forces launched attacks against Houthi fighters along the Red Sea. The move comes after the Houthis seized the strategic port of Mokha and Mayyun Island, also called Perim Island, located at the southern entrance of the Red Sea.
The island sits inside the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a narrow water passage that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the broader Indian Ocean. Houthi forces on Sunday said they targeted Saudi weapons and command centers using drones and ballistic missiles.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the spokesman for the Houthi rebel forces, said their attack was in response to Saudi airstrikes on provinces in Yemen under their control.
“We affirm to the criminal Saudi enemy that the continuation of its aggression against our people will be met with more intense and larger operations deep within its territory,” he said on X. “The consequences upon it will be dire.”
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