ISLAMABAD: A 60-day deadline for the United States and Iran to negotiate a final agreement ending their war expires today, Monday, with talks stalled and no publicly confirmed extension of the Pakistan-brokered diplomatic framework.
The deadline was established under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 17 after mediation by Pakistan and Qatar, which temporarily raised hopes of ending a conflict that began in February and has disrupted energy markets and shipping across the Gulf.
The 14-point agreement declared an immediate and permanent termination of military operations and laid out commitments covering the Strait of Hormuz, the US naval blockade, sanctions, Iran’s nuclear program and frozen Iranian assets, with the details to be incorporated into a final settlement.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America commit to negotiating and achieving the final Deal, in maximum 60 days extendable with mutual consent,” the Islamabad MoU had said.
High-level talks involving the US, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar began in Switzerland days after the agreement was signed, with the parties establishing working groups on nuclear issues, sanctions and monitoring and dispute resolution, as well as a communication channel aimed at preventing incidents in the Strait of Hormuz.
But the agreement quickly unraveled as Washington and Tehran accused each other of violations and military hostilities resumed in July, leaving the Strait of Hormuz at the center of an increasingly dangerous confrontation.
The status of the 60-day deadline has itself become disputed.
Pakistani government sources told Türkiye’s Anadolu news agency last week that Washington and Tehran had agreed to extend the period beyond Aug. 17, although the duration of the extension had yet to be determined.
Iran subsequently rejected that account, saying there had been no negotiations with Washington over extending the arrangement.
“The United States violated the memorandum, and the fighting resumed,” Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi was quoted as saying by the semi-official ISNA news agency last week. “Therefore, there was no 60-day ceasefire that needed to be extended.”
As of Monday morning, Pakistan, the United States and Iran had not publicly announced a final agreement or jointly confirmed an extension of the 60-day negotiating period.
Pakistan and Qatar are nevertheless continuing efforts to restore diplomacy between Washington and Tehran.
Araghchi said over the weekend that the two countries were facilitating exchanges of messages between the sides but stressed that the contacts did not constitute negotiations and that Iran had not yet decided to resume talks with Washington.
Pakistan has repeatedly called for diplomacy to resolve the conflict and said last week that it was making “all-out efforts” through direct and indirect channels to bring Washington and Tehran back to the negotiating table.
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also held talks with Araghchi in Iran last week as Islamabad continued efforts to revive the diplomatic process.
HORMUZ STANDOFF
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the heart of the conflict and one of the biggest obstacles to a settlement.
Before the war, roughly a fifth of global oil supplies passed through the narrow waterway linking the Gulf with the Arabian Sea. Traffic remains severely disrupted, contributing to higher global energy prices and raising concerns about supplies from Gulf producers.
Shipping through the strait has slowed further in recent days following attacks on tankers and renewed threats from Washington and Tehran. Reuters reported that only five vessels passed through on Saturday and none on Sunday, compared with 31 the previous weekend. Brent crude rose to as high as $89.40 a barrel on Monday amid concerns over stalled peace efforts and disruptions to Gulf supplies.
Iran has restricted shipping through Hormuz during the conflict, while the United States has maintained a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Tehran has demanded sanctions relief, the release of frozen Iranian assets, an end to US military attacks and threats and compensation for damage caused during the war before normal shipping can resume. Washington has accused Iran of failing to honor commitments to reopen the waterway and has threatened additional economic pressure.
Iran and Oman have separately been discussing arrangements for shipping routes through Hormuz, but Tehran has said progress on those technical discussions does not amount to an agreement to fully reopen the strait.
The diplomatic deadlock comes as tensions remain high across the Gulf. An Iranian Revolutionary Guard official said as the 60-day period reached its deadline that Tehran could shift toward a more “offensive” military posture, signaling that the risk of further escalation remains even as Pakistan, Qatar, Oman and other countries continue efforts to revive diplomacy.
