The 60-day deadline set under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding for Iran and the United States to reach a final agreement expires Monday, August 17, without the resumption of direct negotiations or an agreement to extend the deadline, amid continued disputes over the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. naval blockade of Iran.
اضافة اعلان
Tehran and Washington signed the 14-point memorandum on June 18. It called for an end to the war and the conclusion of a final agreement within 60 days, with the possibility of an extension subject to both sides’ approval.
It also included provisions for the gradual lifting of the U.S. naval blockade, ensuring the passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, granting exemptions for Iranian oil exports, and releasing frozen Iranian funds.
However, the period following the signing of the memorandum saw a resumption of reciprocal strikes before their intensity declined, while Tehran and Washington traded accusations of violating the understanding.
Iran has accused the United States of failing to lift the naval blockade according to the agreed schedule, while Washington has accused Tehran of failing to restore maritime traffic through the strait.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush had entered the Arabian Sea, marking the latest U.S. naval move in the region as the blockade imposed on Iranian ports continues.
The United States has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports along the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran has set six conditions for reopening the strait, including an end to military operations, the lifting of sanctions and the blockade, the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the area surrounding Iran, compensation for war-related damages, and the release of frozen Iranian funds.
Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowed sharply at the beginning of the week. Data from shipping intelligence company Kpler showed that five vessels passed through the strait on Saturday, while no crossings were recorded on Sunday, compared with 31 vessels at the beginning of the previous week.
The decline followed attacks targeting oil tankers and stalled U.S.-Iranian talks.
Traffic has fallen far below the more than 130 vessels that crossed the strait daily before the war. Washington has reaffirmed that the naval blockade of Iran remains in place, while Tehran has linked the resumption of maritime traffic to the fulfillment of its conditions. In the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the number of cargo vessels also declined to 49 at the beginning of the week, down from 55 the previous week.
The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, is one of the key flashpoints in the conflict due to its importance to global trade.
Before the war, it was a major route for approximately one-fifth of the world's energy supplies.
The war began on February 28, when Israel and the United States attacked Iran. Tehran responded by closing the strait, giving it a strategic bargaining tool in its confrontation with Washington.
