US-Iran talks over $6bn Iranian assets to restart | Strait of Hormuz
Indirect talks between U.S. and Iranian officials on freezing at least $6 billion in Iranian assets will resume in Doha on Wednesday, Iran said. The two sides have yet to hold their first face-to-face meeting since the signing of the agreement to extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were in Qatar on Tuesday for talks covering the Iran ceasefire and regional issues including Lebanon, but Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari emphasized that these were with Qatari mediators. “They are not here for negotiations with the Iranians,” he said.
The U.S. team is investigating the details of a plan for Iran to impose a toll on the Strait of Hormuz and how the plan relates to consultation proposals tabled by Oman that would impose fees for navigational services.
The lack of renewed direct contact between the United States and Iran on how to implement the memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 reflects tensions over Iran’s determination to maintain control over commercial oil tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s opposition to the Lebanese ceasefire proposal negotiated last week by Israel, the United States and the Lebanese government.
Talks between Iran and the United States on Iran’s nuclear program have yet to begin, although only 60 days have been set aside from June 17 to complete the complex talks.
Theoretically, these talks could be extended beyond the six-day period, but the slow pace of progress has begun to alarm some diplomats.
At a press conference in Tehran, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei warned European powers such as France and Britain not to interfere in demining the Strait of Hormuz. “Iran is better aware of its responsibilities than any other party and is capable of fulfilling them, there is no need for the intervention of others. Interventions, even if done with good intentions, in practice will only further complicate the situation,” he said.
Western powers oppose Iran’s plan to impose fees on commercial ships passing through the strait, but they may be more open to discussing Oman’s plan for voluntary contributions or fees for certain services.
The UN International Maritime Organization was holding informal talks with Iran over Tehran’s objections to the IMO opening a sea route through the strait to Oman, along with the US and Oman. At one point last week, the IMO thought it had reached an agreement with Iran’s foreign ministry on the route, but Iran attacked two ships last week, possibly out of fear that its control over the strait would be eroded.
IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez subsequently suspended the talks with Iran.
According to data from maritime tracking firm Kpler, 40 ships passed through the waterway on Monday, down from 24 the previous day and 39 on Saturday.
Hundreds of ships have been stranded and as many as 10,000 sailors have been stranded since the war between the United States and Iran broke out on February 28. Not all ships have transponders, making an accurate count difficult, but Iran could see this level of traffic well below normal levels to keep pressure on oil prices.
He is determined to do his best to lift the blockade on the Bosphorus within 30 days.
Giving a relatively optimistic assessment of the state of relations with the United States, Baghaei said just a few days after the two sides exchanged fire over the dispute over control of the strait: “From the moment we entered this diplomatic process, no one imagined a smooth and uncontroversial process. Remember that this diplomatic process started less than a year after two wars.” […] “We expected to encounter difficulties during the implementation phase.”
