Reporting from Tehran, Iran
There has been a flurry of a diplomatic activity to rescue the stalled talks between Iran and the United States following the latest round of de-escalation.
Qatari negotiators are in Tehran to meet Iranian officials to de-escalate the tension and to create conditions for broader talks between Iran and the United States.
Iranian officials still seem to be skeptical about the Americans’ intentions pertaining to the implementation of the Pakistani-brokered memorandum of understanding, especially after the latest spate of attacks; the US air strikes that targeted several civilian and military infrastructure across five Iranian provinces and killed and injured dozens of Iranians, and also especially after the latest statement by US President Donald Trump unilaterally ending the memorandum of understanding.
We’ve just heard from Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and chief negotiator, he’s just stated that during the recent conflict Iran will never surrender, in fact, Iran is, according to him, ready for a full-scale war.
We have heard repeatedly from Iranian officials reiterating that Iran cannot give in under coercive diplomacy. In fact, they say that in order for them to continue with the talks with the United States; the US has to implement the articles of the MoU, especially article number one, pertaining to the ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, and article number five pertaining to Iran’s sovereign right in managing the Strait of Hormuz and Article number 10 pertaining to Iran’s right to export its oil.
Iran sees “weakness” in US President Donald Trump’s inconsistent rhetoric on Washington’s negotiations with Tehran, says Harlan Ullman, a former senior US naval officer and chairman of the Killowen Group, an advisory company.
“From Tehran’s position, they heard Donald Trump at the NATO summit in Ankara earlier this week – the tirade about saying I’m getting rid of the MoU, it no longer stands, and the ceasefire is over, and I’m calling the Iranian leadership every name I can think of,” he told Al Jazeera.
“And yet here you have on the other hand the United States almost pleading for Iran to sign a document saying that the Strait is open. So, it seems to me, from Tehran’s perspective, they see weakness on the side of the United States and an absence of policy.”
Ullman said the conflict also seems stuck for the moment between “hot and cold” states, comparing it the Korean War from 1951 to 1953.
“For two years and seven days the negotiation was going on while the fighting was continuing. And so I think you have a combination of hot and cold here, where I don’t know how long the fighting is going to go on, limited as it is,” he said.
“My guess is that both sides will try and reach some kind of an agreement, initially on the Strait, which is critical to Trump. He sees oil and gasoline prices going up, he sees the world economy being hurt, and he knows that the [midterm] elections are four months off in the United States. So, there’s great pressure here,” he added.
“And as far as Iran is concerned, the economic conditions are not getting any better. And so it seems to me that Iran needs to have some kind of relaxation and have an ability to export oil and to relieve some of the sanctions. And for that reason I think we see both a hot and cold war persisting simultaneously and negotiations could drag on.”
The Trump administration believes a nuclear accord with Tehran is increasingly improbable, recognising that a peaceful resolution to cap Iran’s atomic programme may be out of reach, reports the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Senior US officials noted, according to the WSJ, that Iran’s ongoing failure to respect the interim maritime agreement leaves little hope for a broader pact, with President Trump recently stating: “I don’t know if we’re going to have a deal.”
The officials further warned that “there also cannot be a nuclear deal if Iran fails to hand control of its buried enriched uranium to the US”, adding that Washington possesses low-cost military alternatives to permanently block access to the material.
Reporting from Washington, DC
What we know is that the United States has put a number of conditions on the future of an agreement with Iran.
Number one, what we know is that the United States says that all its demands with regard to nuclear limits must be met. According to a US official, we also know that when it comes to nuclear material that the US wants delivered, that must also be met in terms of a condition. Otherwise the United States says that there is no deal.
Having said that, there is diplomacy that continues. And what we’re told from this US official is these talks have been productive.
What we know is that the explanation given to the United States about why the Memorandum of Understanding was broken and ships were fired upon recently in the Strait of Hormuz, is that Iranian officials apparently told the United States that this is because of an errant part in their system.
That is not working… as an excuse for the United States. The United States for its part has issued a bit of an ultimatum to Iran, mainly that not only… there must be a public statement issued that no longer will vessels be fired on, but also that the Strait of Hormuz, or all channels, will remain open. Otherwise the US official says that there will not be a good outcome for Iran.
Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of the United States and Israel’s war on Iran, as well as Israel’s attacks on Gaza and Lebanon.
Stay with us for the latest news and analyses related to these conflicts.
You can find our updates from Friday, July 10 here.
While Trump said the MoU with Iran is ‘over’, US officials have reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to continue talks.
Sources suggest that the ceasefire can be revived amid a lull in fighting and backroom diplomacy.
Iran denies it requested new talks with US as new attacks threaten the full resumption of war.
Latest attacks jeopardise ceasefire and memorandum of understanding.
Follow Al Jazeera English:
