Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The situation in the Middle East continues to be swinging between attempts at truce and threats of attacks as both the US and Iran engage in a war of words amidst diplomatic moves by Pakistan to resolve the crisis.
On April 15 the Trump administration expressed optimism about reaching a deal to end the war with Iran, while also warning of increasing economic pressure against Tehran if it remains defiant.
President Donald Trump has said he believes the war he launched with Israel in late February is nearly over, even as a shipping blockade he announced came into effect and traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained well below normal levels.
During the first 48 hours of the US blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports, no vessels made it past US forces, the US military said. Additionally, nine vessels complied with direction from US forces to turn around and return toward an Iranian port or coastal area. However, Iran’s Fars News agency said an Iranian supertanker subject to US sanctions crossed the strait towards Iran’s Imam Khomeini port despite the blockade.
Iran’s joint military command warned it would halt trade flows in the Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Red Sea – which connects to the Suez Canal – if the US blockade continued. The US warned it could add secondary sanctions on buyers of Iranian oil in an apparent effort to gain leverage ahead of more negotiations, just weeks after Washington loosened the enforcement of some Iran energy sanctions.
- US enforces blockade on ships
- Iran threatens to hit back
- Second round of talks likely
US and Iranian officials were weighing a return to Pakistan for further talks as early as the coming weekend, after negotiations ended on April 12 without a breakthrough. Mediator Pakistan’s army chief arrived in Tehran on April 14 to try to prevent a renewal of the conflict. A senior Iranian source told Reuters that Munir, who had mediated the last round of talks, would seek “to narrow gaps” between the two sides. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi posted on X welcoming Munir and said Iran was committed to “promoting peace and stability in the region.”
Sticking point
Iran’s nuclear ambitions were a key sticking point at last weekend’s talks. The US proposed a 20-year suspension of all nuclear activity by Iran – an apparent concession from longstanding demands for a permanent ban – while Tehran suggested a halt of three to five years, according to people familiar with the proposals.
