PNN – The Wall Street Journal claimed on Tuesday that Tehran has demanded that the United States lift its blockade of Iranian ports in order to participate in peace talks with Washington.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, according to the newspaper, Tehran has told mediators that as soon as the US lifts the blockade of Iranian ports, it will send a delegation to Islamabad for negotiations.
The US-Israeli war against Iran in late February and Tehran’s attacks on occupied territories and Washington’s bases in the region have all but halted shipping through the strait, leading to what the International Energy Agency has called the largest disruption to global energy supplies in history. About 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes through this strategic narrow strip.
Global oil prices have risen more than 50 percent since the war began, sending fuel prices soaring and fueling concerns about a global economic slowdown. Fuel prices have also risen around the world since the US-Israeli war on Iran, with about 100 countries reporting gasoline price increases since the fighting began in late February.
Efforts to calm markets have so far failed. Market observers say that if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, prices are likely to rise significantly, reaching $150 or even $200.
Iran and the United States agreed in the early hours of Wednesday, after 40 days of war, with Pakistan mediating a two-week ceasefire and the resumption of talks based on Iran’s 10-point proposal. A round of talks between the sides has ended without any tangible results.
Tehran announced on Friday that it would open the Strait of Hormuz until the end of the ceasefire with Washington, but President Donald Trump’s insistence on blocking Iranian ports caused the vital waterway to revert to its previous status on Saturday and be closed again.
Fox News reported, citing an American intelligence official that the Strait of Hormuz is completely under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and is currently effectively closed.
While the second round of peace talks between Tehran and Washington remains in limbo, US President Donald Trump showed little interest in extending the ceasefire with Iran in an interview.
Trump said in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday morning regarding the possibility of extending the ceasefire with Iran: I don’t want to do that.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai announced on Tuesday evening that Tehran has not yet made a final decision about participating in this round of talks.