Trump’s push to link Hormuz to nuclear issue hinders talks
By Delaram Ahmadi
Staff writer
Javad Heiran-Nia, an international affairs expert, told Iran Daily that Washington’s effort to link the Strait of Hormuz and the naval blockade to the nuclear issue is a major obstacle to reviving negotiations with Iran. He said Tehran wants the main principles of the previous understanding between Iran and the United States to be restored first, including the release of frozen Iranian funds, an end to the war on all fronts and the lifting of the naval blockade.
Heiran-Nia said Iran wants the Strait of Hormuz to be addressed separately through a mechanism involving Oman and does not want the issue to become a US instrument of pressure in nuclear negotiations. He said Tehran’s preferred sequence is to resolve the Hormuz issue and the conditions for ending the war first and then enter nuclear negotiations without the economic leverage created by the blockade being used to extract concessions.
IRAN DAILY: Iran has stressed ending the war on all fronts, releasing frozen assets and lifting the naval blockade as conditions for resuming talks, while Trump has spoken about possibly restarting major attacks. Do these positions still leave room for negotiations?
HEIRAN-NIA: Iran’s position is that the previous understanding between Iran and the United States should serve as the basis for further work, or at least that its main principles should be restored. These include releasing frozen funds, lifting the naval blockade and ending the war on all fronts. These are the main conditions Iran has presented for ending the war.
Iran is willing to discuss the nuclear issue, but wants such discussions to take place in a later phase, in line with what was emphasized in the understanding.
At the same time, Iran does not want the Strait of Hormuz or a mechanism for shipping and transit through the strait to become a US instrument of pressure. Tehran therefore wants a mechanism involving Iran and Oman to be established first. The planned meeting in Salalah with the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council and Iraq was based on this approach. Iran has also stated that the issue of the strait is not connected to the United States.
However, Washington has shown little willingness to revive the understanding. Following the breakdown of the understanding, which Iran says was violated by the United States through the southern corridor, three ships were attacked, with both sides accusing the other of violating the agreement. Washington subsequently set the understanding aside and intensified the naval blockade.
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