The 60-day deadline for negotiations between the US and Iran to reach a final agreement expired on Monday, but neither side implemented the terms of the memorandum of understanding signed in Islamabad on June 18. Mohammad Mahdi Maleki, an expert on Iranian regional affairs, told The New Arab that the memorandum of understanding was initially seen as a potential diplomatic breakthrough, but it gradually crumbled after the US reimposed the blockade and sought to open new sea lanes. Maleki stated that the agreement originally planned to achieve a ceasefire in Iran and a wider region (including Lebanon), reopen the Strait of Hormuz for one month, return Iranian assets, and begin negotiations on sanctions. However, the US violated the clause allowing Iran and Oman to discuss shipping management in the Strait of Hormuz after 23 days. Iran closed the waterway again after the US guided ships through the "southern corridor" with tracking systems disabled. Subsequently, Iran set six conditions for any resumption of negotiations, including a permanent cessation of attacks on Iran and its regional allies, lifting of the maritime blockade and sanctions, withdrawal of US troops from the region surrounding Iran, reparations for the war imposed on Iran, and the unconditional unfreezing of frozen Iranian assets. The former secretary of the Supreme National Security Council stated earlier this month that the Strait of Hormuz would not reopen until Washington “corrects its behavior.” Maleki stated that given the continued escalation of US actions and excessive demands, the likelihood of a limited military escalation is currently higher than the possibility of a diplomatic breakthrough. He added that regional countries are continuing both public and behind-the-scenes efforts to revive the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, but the chances of success remain slim.
