Trump says back-channel discussions ongoing as he threatens to bomb Oman

Peace talks between the United States and Iran remained stalled Tuesday as the 60-day deadline for the Pakistan-brokered memorandum of understanding lapsed on Monday without any breakthrough.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States had no planned talks with Iran but insisted that the Strait of Hormuz remained "open and operating", despite limited traffic and a reported strike on a ship exiting the waterway.

He also said on social media that a US blockade of the waterway remained "in full force and effect".

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Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Tuesday that the strategic Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until the US meets Tehran's demands.

He listed the removal of the blockade, the lifting of oil sanctions and the unfreezing of Iran's assets abroad among the demands, which were included in an Iran-US truce in June that later collapsed.

The MoU, signed on June 17, was aimed at ending the conflict that started on Feb 28 when the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran.

Trump said in the Oval Office on Monday that there would be no extension of the MoU. However, he also claimed his administration was holding back-channel discussions with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC.

Trump also said that Tehran wanted to make a deal with Washington. "But they're not going to make the kind of a deal that I feel is necessary," he said, reiterating that Iran "cannot have a nuclear weapon". The US president also threatened to bomb Oman if it "gets in the way" of talks to end the war.

In an interview with Iran's Tasnim News Agency on Monday, IRGC spokesperson Brigadier-General Hossein Mohebbi denied that talks were taking place between the IRGC and the US.

"There is no dialogue taking place between IRGC officials and the Americans," Mohebbi was quoted as saying by Tasnim. He described Trump's claim as "merely fantasies caused by the delusions and nightmares resulting from defeat and desperation in the war" of aggression against Iran.

Push for diplomacy

Gulf countries have continued to push for diplomacy. Qatar said Tuesday that regional efforts were focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and reviving the US-Iran MoU. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said Doha was awaiting an agreement between Oman and Iran on the strait, which he said would help pave the way for a return to negotiations.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that Iran and Oman had agreed on a map for a new maritime traffic route through the Strait of Hormuz and were expected to finalize the arrangement in a package comprising the map and a joint statement.

Arhama Siddiqa, a research fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad in Pakistan, told China Daily that the current stalemate reflects a hardening of positions rather than the complete collapse of diplomacy.

"Washington's decision not to pursue an extension of the Islamabad MoU, while President Trump simultaneously claims that a back channel exists with the IRGC, suggests a strategy of keeping informal communication open while publicly maximizing pressure on Tehran," said Siddiqa.

She said the IRGC's categorical denial, however, highlights the "deep mistrust" that continues to undermine any sustainable negotiating process.

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Further, she said, Trump's repeated threats against Oman are particularly concerning because Muscat has traditionally played an important mediating role, and Iran-Oman discussions over the strait represent one of the few areas where tangible diplomatic progress has recently been reported.

From Pakistan's perspective, Siddiqa said, the priority should remain de-escalation, dialogue and allowing regional states to facilitate a political solution rather than further militarization.

In the latest developments over the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that a vessel was struck by an unidentified projectile on Tuesday while sailing out of the key waterway.

It said the impact damaged the engine room and resulted in a crew casualty, while the remaining crew members were being assisted by the Omani Coast Guard.

Xinhua, agencies and Cui Haipei in Dubai, UAE, contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com