Qatar awaits an agreement on navigation through the waterway to resume cease-fire talks.

On Tuesday, Mohamad Baqer Qalibaf, the Iranian Parliament speaker and chief negotiator, insisted that his country would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the United States fulfills all the commitments assumed in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on June 17.

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Among the conditions for lifting the blockade are the release of frozen Iranian assets, the lifting of oil sanctions and an end to U.S. and Israeli military operations on all fronts, including operations against Lebanon.

The former Revolutionary Guard member also warned that the Islamic Republic has strengthened itself militarily during the weeks of the truce and is ready to “inflict a greater defeat” on the United States.

Qalibaf’s warning came one day after the 60-day deadline agreed upon in the Iran-U.S. MoU expired. The document established an end to hostilities, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of the ban on the sale of Iranian oil in international markets and an end to the blockade of Iranian ports and vessels, among other issues.

The 14-point text also established a 60-day period to negotiate a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program and the full lifting of sanctions, but those talks never began because of the resumption of attacks.

On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran should fly the “white flag of surrender” and asserted that his country maintains control of the Strait of Hormuz despite very low tanker traffic through the waterway and attacks on vessels attempting to cross it.

Today a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while making “an outbound transit” of the strait, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) reported.

Qatar Expects Agreement on Hormuz to Resume Mediation

On Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Majed al Ansari said Qatar hopes Iran and the United States will reach an agreement on navigation through the Strait of Hormuz so negotiations for a cease-fire can resume.

“Regarding the Oman negotiations, I have nothing new to add for now, except that we continue to wait for an agreement between the two sides, which, of course, will lead to the resumption of negotiations, God willing, and the restoration of the cease-fire and the prevention of an escalation in the region,” he said at a news conference in Doha.

In mid-July, Iran closed passage through the Strait of Hormuz after new U.S. bombings against the southern part of Persian territory, to which the Islamic Republic responded by attacking U.S. targets in Middle Eastern countries.

Tehran, which continues to negotiate with Oman, insists on maintaining control of the strait and charging vessels that cross it fees for maritime, security and environmental services, something the U.S. rejects.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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