Tehran/Washington/Beirut. The deepening crisis regarding the Strait of Hormuz does not seem to be resolved in the near future. The world has lost its appeal to Iran and America to resolve this issue soon.
The scope of distrust and differences between the two countries has increased as the two countries come close to the second round of talks. Iran has made its stand clear to a great extent.
Iran without any hesitation said that it will open the Strait of Hormuz only when the US forces return after ending the siege of its ports.
According to Al Jazeera and CBS News reports, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said that no date has been set yet for a new round of face-to-face talks with the US.
He strongly criticized Washington for intransigence. He made it clear that if America wants the Strait of Hormuz to open, then it will first have to end the siege of our ports and order the army to return.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said that until an agreement is reached, the naval siege on Iranian ports will continue. He said that Washington will not come under any kind of pressure from Tehran.
Khatibzadeh told journalists at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey that no date has been set for the next round of talks between Tehran and Washington.
“As of now, we are focusing on setting a framework for mutual understanding,” he said. If this is successful, the next steps will be announced. If America had not adopted an extremist attitude, the agreement would have been reached long ago.
He said, “Iran will make any agreement with America only within the framework of international law. As a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the International Nuclear Agency, Iran has certain responsibilities and also certain rights.
Iran deserves its rights. After the ceasefire in Lebanon, we said that now there will be safe movement from Hormuz. But America hindered this.
He said that this route is open, but not for Iranians. This is what stung us. And unfortunately he is still trying to create diplomatic drama through talks.”
The speaker of Iran’s parliament said Saturday night that some progress has been made in peace talks with the United States, but the two sides are still far away from an agreement. “We are still a long way from final discussions,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a national address.
Iran’s military announced on Saturday that it has regained control of the Strait of Hormuz. He warned that as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports continues, it will continue to block movement through this waterway.
The British military said during this time that two Iranian gunboats fired on a tanker in the strait. India also confirmed that two of its ships were targeted in the Iranian attacks.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army said that one of its soldiers died during fighting in southern Lebanon. Also, the condition of one of the nine injured soldiers is critical.
The killed Israeli soldier was identified as Sergeant First Class Lidor Porat. With this, the number of Israeli soldiers killed in the latest war in Lebanon has increased to 14.
It is being said that Israel attacked southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire. French President Emmanuel Macron has blamed Hezbollah for an attack in Lebanon that killed a French peacekeeping soldier. This armed group has denied this allegation.
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