Sharing details of behind-the-scene negotiations with the United States (US), Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said that Tehran that confronted the US delegation over naval activity in the Strait of Hormuz and reiterated that the waterway falls under the “control of the Islamic Republic”. He also criticised America’s efforts of clearing the mines in the Hormuz, calling it a “violation of ceasefire”.
In a television interview which was aired on Saturday night, Galibaf said the US and Iran were near a renewed confrontation over Hormuz, but “the enemy retreated”. Galibaf, who led the Iranian delegation in Pakistan’s Islamabad during the talks with the US last week, also criticised President Donald Trump’s blockade of Hormuz, calling it “clumsy and ignorant decision”.
“In Islamabad, I told the American delegation that if their minesweeper moves even a little further from its position, we will definitely shoot it. They asked for 15 minutes to give the order to turn back, and they did,” the Iranian Parliament Speaker said, as quoted by Al Jazeera.ย
Ghalibaf said America’s objectives of weakening Iran’s military, launching a ground offense and opening the Hormuz have failed. As the US failed to achieve its objectives, it sent messages through intermediaries, he said, referring to Pakistan.
Though the US and Iran have reached an understanding in some areas, there are “major differences” on several issues, Ghalibaf said, adding that the Islamic Republic agreed to the temporary ceasefire to allow the US to meet its demands.
“Trump did not achieve his goal of changing the regime and destroying our offensive and missile capabilities, and Iran is not Venezuela,” Al Jazeera quoted Ghalibaf as saying.
The Islamabad talks between Iran and the US had failed after the two sides failed to agree to each other’s demands. US Vice President JD Vance, who led the American delegation, blamed Iran and once again reiterated that the Middle East nation could never be allowed to have nuclear weapons. On the contrary, the Iranians blamed the “unreasonable” demands put forth by the US for failure of talks.
The two sides are likely to hold the next round of talks again on Monday in Pakistan, but no official has confirmed about it yet. Amidst this, Iran has once again closed the Hormuz and fired on ships attempting to pass following the US blockade. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has said that the Strait will remain closed until the US blockade is lifted.ย
ย