Iran vowed it would not ‘compromise, retreat’ in US talks, mediated by Pakistan, as US President Donald Trump warned Iran not to “blackmail” Washington with its flip-flopping on the fate of the Strait of Hormuz, after Tehran declared the strategic waterway once again closed.
After Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the full reopening of Hormuz for the remainder of the ceasefire in the Middle East, Iran’s armed forces reversed this decision and reasserted “strict control” over the strait on Saturday. The navy of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned on Saturday that any ship approaching the Strait of Hormuz would be treated as a target.
“We’re talking to them. They wanted to close up the strait again — you know, as they’ve been doing for years — and they can’t blackmail us,” Trump said at a White House event. He added there would be “some information” about Iran later in the day, adding: “We’re taking a tough stand.”
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, said in a televised address on Saturday night that there had been “progress” with Washington “but there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain”.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif concluded a visit to Turkey on Saturday, while army chief, Asim Munir, departed Tehran, in two separate moves seen as part of Islamabad’s efforts to end the war with Iran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei rejected any possibility of transferring Iran’s enriched uranium to another country, stressing that such an option has never been considered.
In Lebanon, where a ceasefire went into effect at midnight on Thursday and is scheduled to last 10 days, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem warned that his fighters would respond to Israeli “violations.” (AFP)
