Iran Signals Readiness to Resume Ceasefire if US Reciprocates
Iran says it will honor the June ceasefire deal if the US does too, after recent clashes and new attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday that Tehran is prepared to return to the ceasefire agreement signed with the United States in June, provided Washington also honors its commitments. The remarks, made on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan, came after the first direct exchange of fire between the two countries in a month.
According to Iranian state media, Pezeshkian stated that if the US returns to its obligations under the memorandum of understanding, Iran will immediately reciprocate. The June deal had called for an immediate ceasefire and a 60-day window for negotiations on a broader peace agreement. Under its terms, Iran agreed to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz and allow safe passage for ships, while the US was to end its naval blockade, lift sanctions, issue waivers for Iranian oil exports, and begin work on a reconstruction package.
The agreement quickly unraveled. Over the weekend, US forces targeted Iranian missile launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran responded by firing missiles at American military facilities in Jordan, which were intercepted.
While Pezeshkian has long advocated a negotiated end to the war, the powerful Revolutionary Guard continues to press for greater concessions from Washington, including Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz and financial compensation. Such conditions are likely to be rejected by the US.
The summit in Kyrgyzstan, attended by the leaders of China, Russia, and India, is being framed as a counterweight to US global influence. Iran's foreign minister has already met with his Chinese counterpart, and Pezeshkian was scheduled to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin later Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center reported two separate incidents involving ships near the Strait of Hormuz. In the first, a tanker was struck by three projectiles on Monday while leaving the Persian Gulf east of Oman. No casualties or environmental damage were reported. In the second, a tanker was reported to have been stopped and left adrift off the coast of Oman, according to UK-based maritime risk firm Ambrey. No group has claimed responsibility, but Iran has frequently targeted shipping in the waterway, and the US has also fired on vessels as part of its blockade of Iranian ports.