Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, has stated that there has been progress in talks with the US, but still far from reaching a final agreement.
Following a two-week ceasefire, Mr Ghalibaf was part of the Iranian team that held the first round of Islamabad Talks with the US delegation led by JD Vance. The ceasefire is scheduled to end on Wednesday unless it is renewed.
Last Friday, Iran opened the Strait of Hormuz during Field Marshal Asim Munir’s visit and Israel’s stoppage of attacks on Lebanon. But Trump’s insistence on continuing the blockade of Iranian ports until reaching a deal caused Iran to again close down the Strait of Hormuz.
Ghalibaf made it clear that vehicle movement in the Strait of Hormuz will be limited by the lifting of the US blockade of Iranian ports. Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, stated in his message that Iran’s navy stands ready to defeat the US.
Trump, speaking to reporters at a White House event, warned Iran not to try to blackmail the US with its flip-flopping on the Strait of Hormuz.
“We have very good conversations going on,” he stated, adding that Washington was taking a tough stand.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that any attempt to pass through Hormuz without permission will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will be targeted.
A handful of oil and gas tankers crossed the strait early on Saturday during the brief reopening, but others retreated, and tracking platforms showed hardly any vessels crossing the waterway by the late afternoon.
A UK maritime security agency said the Revolutionary Guards fired at one tanker. The UK agency said it received a report of a vessel being hit by an unknown projectile, which caused damage to containers but no fire.
The Indian foreign ministry said it had summoned the Iranian ambassador in New Delhi to protest a shooting incident involving two Indian-flagged ships in the strait.
Islamabad road closures update as Red Zone sealed ahead of anticipated Islamabad Talks 2.0.
