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As the United States and Iran concluded a round of indirect talks in Qatar’s Doha, the negotiations mainly focused on the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s demand seeking to charge tolls through the waterway.
While there was no word from both sides on whether there had been progress towards achieving lasting peace, the negotiators were still arguing over terms they had agreed to in the 14-point memorandum of understanding they signed last month, Axios reported.
According to sources cited by Axios, among the main issues discussed were the strait, Iranian frozen assets and the ceasefire in Lebanon. In the context of the Strait of Hormuz, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner tried to convey to the Iranian side that their demand for tolls in the strait could derail the entire US-Iran deal, which could be far more lucrative for Tehran.
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“The US message to Iran was ‘Think bigger,’” a US official said, according to Axios. The official added that the sums Iran would generate by selling oil and other resources freely – after America lifts sanctions on its products – “would be 100 times more valuable to them than using a gangster tactic to try and charge a toll.”
The situation around the strait was one of the key issues which came up in Doha, given the recent exchanges of fire between US and Iran. The establishment of a new shipping route in Hormuz close to the Omani coast added fuel to the fire and led to Iranian attacks against several commercial ships last week.
Tehran has, over the past few months, publicly sought to establish joint sovereignty over the strait, along with Oman. Iran has said that both countries will administer the Strait of Hormuz and request passage fees after the 60-day term of the MoU ends. The 60-day period started immediately after the signing of the MoU last month, and is meant for US and Iran to reach a final agreement on ending the conflict. The deadline for this is August 18.
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There have been differences over the interpretation of the MoU too, with the US saying any new arrangements in the strait must be endorsed by the Gulf countries, Axios reported. Meanwhile, Tehran’s perspective is that the strait is in their territorial waters, so the Gulf countries can put forward their opinions but the final call would be taken by Iran only.
“The Gulf is currently in discussions about how the Strait should be managed after (the MOU expires) and those discussions are converging,” Axios cited a US official as saying.
The next meeting on the negotiations will take place after r funeral processions for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is due to be buried on July 9, Qatar’s foreign ministry said.
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