Tehran Indicates Comprehensive Agreement Remains Elusive Amid Ongoing Strait of Hormuz Closure

Sunday saw the Strait of Hormuz remain closed, as tensions between Iran and the United States continued, with Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf indicating that a final peace agreement was still a long way off, despite some progress in negotiations.

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Mediation efforts, led by Pakistan, were ongoing, but Iran was adamant that it would not reopen the crucial maritime trade route until the US lifted its blockade of Iranian ports, with Ghalibaf stating that many gaps and fundamental points remained in the talks.

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A two-week ceasefire, set to expire on Wednesday, had been agreed upon, but its renewal was uncertain, as US President Donald Trump warned Iran against attempting to "blackmail" the United States, while also stating that "very good conversations" were taking place between the two nations.

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On Friday, Iran had briefly reopened the Strait of Hormuz, following a temporary ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon, but this was short-lived, as Tehran reversed its decision after Trump insisted that the US blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place until a final deal was reached.

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Ghalibaf emphasized that the strait would remain closed to traffic unless the US lifted its blockade, saying "if America does not lift the blockade, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz will definitely be limited", as Trump accused Iran of trying to "get a little cute" with its recent actions.

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The US President also warned Tehran not to attempt to "blackmail" Washington, stating that the United States was "taking a tough stand" in the negotiations, with Trump telling reporters at the White House that "we have very good conversations going on".

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Iran's Revolutionary Guards issued a stern warning, stating that any vessel attempting to pass through the strait without permission would be considered an enemy and would be targeted, as a handful of oil and gas tankers had crossed the strait during the brief reopening on Saturday.

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However, by late afternoon, hardly any vessels were crossing, and on Sunday morning, the entrance to the Gulf appeared to be at a standstill, with tracking data showing the strait itself empty of shipping, following a series of incidents on Saturday, including the Revolutionary Guards firing at a tanker.

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A UK maritime security agency reported that the Guards had also threatened to "destroy" an empty cruise ship fleeing the Gulf, while another vessel was reportedly hit by an unknown projectile, causing damage to shipping containers, prompting the Indian foreign ministry to summon the Iranian ambassador to lodge a protest.

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Egypt, which has been involved in mediation efforts with Pakistan, expressed optimism on Saturday, with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stating that Cairo and Islamabad hoped to secure a final agreement "in the coming days", as a major sticking point in the negotiations remained Iran's stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium.

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Trump claimed on Friday that Iran had agreed to hand over its roughly 440 kilogrammes of enriched uranium, but Iran's foreign ministry denied this, stating that the stockpile was "not going to be transferred anywhere" and that surrendering it to the US had never been raised in negotiations.

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On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian questioned why Iran should give up its "legal right" to a nuclear programme, asking "how come the US president declares that Iran should not use its nuclear rights but does not say why?", as the Middle East war, which began on February 28, continued to simmer.

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The conflict, sparked by a massive wave of US-Israeli attacks on Iran, had rapidly spread across the region, with Iran targeting neighbouring Gulf countries and Iran-backed Hezbollah launching rockets at Israel, as the international community awaited a resolution to the crisis.