Iran said on Monday that it has not requested the resumption of talks with the United States to end the war, while insisting that the Hormuz Strait remains under its control.
The statement came after US President Donald Trump suspended a new campaign of strikes against Iranian targets following recommendations from senior US military officials.
After 13 nights of intense US bombardments, which prompted Iranian retaliation against American bases in the Gulf region, Trump ordered a pause in the attacks over the weekend.
Iran halts attacks if US stops strikes
Tehran said it would stop its own attacks for as long as the United States does not launch further strikes against Iran.
“As our strategy is essentially based on responding to actions, we have also halted our operations,” Iranian military spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said.
The decision by Trump to suspend the latest bombing campaign followed recommendations from senior US military officials, who assessed that the operation had achieved what it could, according to a US official and reports by American media.
A US official told Reuters that General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had expressed concerns over the depletion of air defence weapons protecting US bases in the Gulf region.
US officials cite reduced Iranian capabilities
Reports by US media said Central Command (Centcom) chief Admiral Brad Cooper also recommended pausing strikes around the Hormuz Strait, arguing that two weeks of air operations had significantly reduced Iran’s ability to attack vessels in the strategic waterway.
Cooper reportedly said that available targets had nearly been exhausted, while estimating that a possible future US operation could focus on remaining targets that were not hit during the “Epic Fury” operation.
The reports followed similar coverage by US outlets, including The New York Times and CNN.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said on Sunday that Trump suspended the strikes to allow room for negotiations.
Tehran rejects claims of renewed negotiations
However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran had not requested renewed negotiations with Washington.
He also stressed that the Hormuz Strait “remains closed”.
Several Iranian state media outlets reported, citing an informed source, that Iran had forced six vessels attempting to cross the strait without permission to change course. One of the vessels reportedly suffered “an accident”.
“According to previous announcements, the route for vessel traffic through the Hormuz Strait is the one designated by Iran, while other routes are dangerous and have no passage,” the source was quoted as saying.
Iran discusses Strait with Oman
Iran has said ships can cross the Hormuz Strait only through a route close to Iranian shores, which it controls and where it intends to impose fees.
Tehran is seeking to formalise its control over the strait through an agreement with Oman, which controls the opposite coastline.
A high-level Omani delegation visited Tehran over the weekend to discuss the future of the waterway.
Baghaei said the United States was not involved in those talks.
“These talks have nothing to do with the US. They are a bilateral matter between Iran and Oman and they are continuing,” he said.
Foreign ministers from Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia also held phone discussions on the issue with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, according to state media reports.
Source: CNA
Also read: Oil prices slide on hopes of US-Iran de-escalation
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