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In a bid to facilitate a new series of discussions between the United States and Iran, Pakistan proceeded with preparations on Monday, just days before a fragile ceasefire is set to lapse. The situation is further complicated by renewed hostilities around the Strait of Hormuz, casting doubt on whether the meeting will occur.
Recently, the United States captured an Iranian-flagged cargo ship, alleging it attempted to breach a blockade of Iranian ports. In response, Iran’s joint military command has pledged retaliation, and Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi communicated to his Pakistani counterpart that such American actions against Iranian vessels and ports are “obvious indicators” of Washington’s insincerity ahead of the anticipated negotiations, as reported by Iranian state media.
With escalating tensions and the ceasefire deadline looming midweek, Pakistan has ramped up its diplomatic efforts with both Washington and Tehran over the last 24 hours. The aim is to ensure the talks proceed as scheduled on Tuesday, according to two Pakistani officials engaged in the preparations. These officials requested anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
U.S. President Donald Trump indicated that American negotiators were planning to travel to Islamabad on Monday. However, whether these plans will proceed as intended remains uncertain.
Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, informed reporters in Tehran on Monday that no official decision had been made regarding participation in the talks with the U.S., though he did not entirely dismiss the possibility.
“We have no plans for the next round of negotiations and no decision has been made in this regard,” Baghaei said.
Iran on Saturday said it had received new proposals from the United States but suggested a wide gap remained between the sides. It was unclear whether either side had shifted stances on issues that derailed the last round of negotiations, including Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, its regional proxies and the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran throttled traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the open seas, shortly after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28 to start the war. The U.S. has also instituted a blockade of Iranian ports.
Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil trade normally passes through the strait, along with critical supplies of fertilizer for the world’s farmers, natural gas and humanitarian supplies for places in dire need like Afghanistan and Sudan.
Iran says more than 3,000 have been killed in country so far
Since the war started, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran, according to a new toll released Monday in official Iranian media by Abbas Masjedi, the head of Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization. He did not break down casualties among civilians and security forces, instead just saying that 2,875 were male and 496 were female. Masjedi said 383 of the dead were children 18 years old and under.
More than 2,290 people have also been killed in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 U.S. service members throughout the region have been killed.
Oil prices on the rise again after renewed conflict in Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz has also sent oil prices skyrocketing and given rise to one of the worst global energy crises in decades.
Oil prices recovered slightly following Iran’s announcement that the strait was being reopened a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon took hold on Friday.
But then Trump said the U.S. blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S. and on Sunday the military seized the Iranian cargo ship, the first interception since the blockade began last week.
Iran’s joint military command called the armed boarding an act of piracy and a ceasefire violation, the state broadcaster said, and vowed to again enforce restrictions imposed early in the war. Already on Saturday, Iran fired at ships trying to transit.
Oil prices were up again in early trading on Monday, with Brent crude, the international standard, at about $95 a barrel — up more than 30% from the day the war started.
Iran early Monday warned it could keep up the global economic pain as ships remained unable to transit the strait, with hundreds of vessels waiting at each end for clearance.
Security of the strait is not free and “the choice is clear: either a free oil market for all, or the risk of significant costs for everyone,” Mohammad Reza Aref, first vice president of Iran, said in a social media post calling for a lasting end to military and economic pressure on Tehran.