Tehran said on Saturday that a final peace agreement was still “far” off and that the vital Strait of Hormuz would not reopen until the United States lifted its naval blockade on Iranian ports.
In a televised speech, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that while negotiations with Washington had made “progress,” “many gaps and some fundamental points remain.”
“We are still far from the final discussion,” said Ghalibaf, one of Tehran’s negotiators in the talks aimed at ending the war launched by Israel and the United States against the Islamic Republic.
A two-week ceasefire is set to end on Wednesday unless it is renewed.
In the meantime, US President Donald Trump stated that “very good conversations” were taking place with Iran, but he cautioned Tehran against attempting to “blackmail” the US.
After a ceasefire was reached in Israel’s conflict with Iran’s ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, Tehran announced on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz, which typically transports a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, was open.
Global markets were ecstatic and oil prices fell as a result, but Tehran announced it was closing the strait again when Trump insisted that the embargo of Iranian ports would last until an agreement was reached to resolve the larger conflict.
“If America does not lift the blockade, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz will definitely be limited,” Ghalibaf said.
Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to be seen since taking power, said meanwhile in a written message that Iran’s navy “stands ready” to defeat the United States.
Trump, speaking to reporters at a White House event, accused Iran of getting “a little cute” with its recent moves and warned Tehran not to try to “blackmail” Washington with its flip-flopping on the Strait of Hormuz.
“We have very good conversations going on,” the president said, adding that the United States was “taking a tough stand.”
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