The US and Iran managed some kind of week-long pause in the Strait of Hormuz , they reported. It was meant to ease things down while those indirect talks kept spinning on in Qatar. That’s what the New York Post put out, citing someone from the US side.
But even with that temporary calm, the real sticking point who actually controls the shipping through that crucial waterway remains wide open.
Tensions had been boiling long before this. Remember when Iran hit a ship near Oman last week? That was the spark. Then the United States reacted by hitting some of those missile and drone storage spots along the Strait. A messy escalation, you know.
Iran still insists they have the right to run maritime traffic through Hormuz. They demanded transit fees once whatever interim setup ended.
The Trump administration, though, pushed back hard on that idea. They argued it’s an international waterway. Tehran couldn't just slap charges on passing ships.
This dispute really became the biggest hurdle in all those bigger negotiations between them. US officials were pushing Tehran to just drop their demands if they wanted any economic wins from a wider deal. It was tough.
The actual aGreement, the memorandum of understanding signed between the US and Iran, it’s got this weird clause about working with Oman to “define the future administration and maritime services” in the Strait. But Washington and Tehran seem to be reading that thing totally differently.
Some senior US officials thought the wording actually stopped Iran from charging fees because Gulf countries wouldn't have accepted whatever arrangement Tehran was pushing for. That’s one take.
Iran, on the other hand? They see it as acknowledging their sovereign control over the water. A framework for talking with regional players.
The story gets really tangled when you look at what the Iranian side claims happened during the final stages of talks. Some sources linked to the IRGC stuff suggest that the text got amended right at the end. There was talk about emphasizing Iran and Oman’s sovereignty over the Strait. And some quoted whispered that using the phrase ‘maritime services’ meant the US basically accepted paying fees to Iran.
But the Americans, including Donald Trump himself, they rejected any idea that Tehran could collect tolls or fees from ships going through there. It just didn't sit right with them.
Meanwhile, things were happening separately. Negotiators met up on Wednesday with mediators from Qatar and Pakistan. Qatar was happy. They said there had been “positive progress.”
Qatar’s spokesman mentioned they needed more time. Discussions would happen when the funeral ceremonies for Iran’s former Supreme Leader were over.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, along with some of Iran's top negotiators like Kazem Gharibabadi, were all in Qatar working this out. They were trying to sort technical details before any big political leaders got involved. Still, the deep issues Hormuz, Lebanon, regional security they just weren’t resolved yet.
There was another incident floating around too. A foreign container ship ran aground somewhere in the Strait while using a route that Iran apparently hadn't approved. Iranian state TV said the vessel got stuck in shallow water and stressed that ships should follow instructions from their paramilitary guards, the Revolutionary Guard. They warned that trying to use routes outside what they called the ‘Route of Authority’ could cause serious problems.
And don't forget Lebanon. That was also part of the chat in Qatar. Discussions touched on regional security stuff too. Kazem Gharibabadi mentioned no direct talks with the Americans, just talking through the mediators about things like plans to get some of Iran's frozen assets back. And there were demands floating around from Iran about fighting involving Hezbollah and Israel, plus calls for Israel to pull back from areas they currently hold in southern Lebanon. Israel maintained that it had to keep control of that territory.
Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board
Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.
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