Iran has not decided on resuming indirect talks with US

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran has not decided whether to resume indirect negotiations with the United States, while stressing that the exchange of messages through mediators should not be considered a sign that talks have restarted. Speaking to the Iranian news agency ISNA on Friday, the foreign minister also dismissed reports suggesting that a 60-day ceasefire had to be extended. The ceasefire was based on the Islamabad memorandum, a framework for a peace agreement with the US mediated by Pakistan in June. “What is stated in the Islamabad memorandum is the end of the war, not a ceasefire. The United States violated the memorandum and fighting resumed. Therefore, there is no 60-day ceasefire that needs to be extended,” he said. He explained that the 60-day period in the memorandum was intended as time to conduct negotiations to reach a final agreement, not as a ceasefire period. Araghchi said Iran’s negotiations with Oman are still ongoing, but are entirely separate from any discussions with Washington. He explained that the talks are technical negotiations focused on establishing new shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, as previous routes are no longer suitable. “We are currently designing a temporary route that will later become a permanent route,” he said. The Iranian minister added that experts from both countries as well as the Iranian armed forces are involved in the discussions and that the negotiations could be concluded soon. Araghchi also stressed that the technical negotiations on shipping routes should not be conflated with the issue of reopening the Strait of Hormuz. “Once the route is determined, the decision on whether the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened depends on the fulfilment of other conditions that the United States must comply with,” he said.