Dubai, Sept 2:
Iran is prepared to return to the ceasefire agreement reached with the United States in June if Washington also honours its commitments, President Masoud Pezeshkian said, signalling a possible diplomatic opening even as tensions between the two countries remain high.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan, Pezeshkian said Iran would immediately reciprocate if the US returned to its obligations under the memorandum of understanding. His remarks came after the first direct exchange of fire between Iran and the US in about a month.
The June understanding had provided for an immediate ceasefire and a 60-day period of negotiations aimed at reaching a broader peace agreement. Under the arrangement, Iran had agreed to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz and allow shipping to resume, while the US had agreed to end its naval blockade, ease sanctions and provide waivers for Iranian oil exports, besides beginning discussions on reconstruction assistance for Iran.
The agreement, however, broke down soon after it was reached. Fighting later resumed, with the US striking Iranian missile launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran responding with missile attacks on American military facilities in Jordan. The Iranian attacks were intercepted, according to reports.
Pezeshkian has consistently favoured a negotiated end to the conflict, but his position faces pressure from Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is seeking wider concessions from Washington. Among its demands are greater Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz and financial compensation for damage caused during the war — demands that could prove difficult for the US to accept.
The strategic waterway has also become a major flashpoint. Britain’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre received reports of attacks involving two tankers in and around the Strait of Hormuz. One tanker was reportedly hit by three projectiles while leaving the Persian Gulf, although there were no immediate reports of casualties or environmental damage.
Pezeshkian’s latest remarks could provide a narrow avenue for renewed negotiations, but the continuing military confrontation and disagreements over the terms of the ceasefire remain major obstacles. With the Strait of Hormuz at the centre of the dispute, any further escalation could have consequences well beyond the region.