US Navy guided missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy — now in the Strait of Hormuz, off the Iran coast — at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, February 3, 2022 (Reuters)
EA on International Outlets: US-Iran Talks in Islamabad
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UPDATE 0845 GMT:
Three Iran-linked tankers have passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
Because the three vessels were not heading to Iranian ports, they were not covered by the US blockade.
The Panama-flagged Peace Gulf, a medium-range tanker, is heading to Hamriyah port in the UAE. The vessel typically moves Iranian naphtha, an oil product used for making plastics and chemicals.
The US-sanctioned tanker Murlikishan is sailing to Iraq to load fuel oil. The vessel has transported Russian and Iranian oil.
The US-sanctioned, Chinese-flagged Rich Starry is carrying around 250,000 barrels of methanol, loaded at UAE’s Hamriyah, and heading to China (see 0638 GMT).
UPDATE 0749 GMT:
China’s Foreign Ministry says the US blockade of Iranian ports is “dangerous and irresponsible behavior” which “further jeopardizes safety of passage through the Strait [of Hormuz]”.
Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said of Donald Trump’s threat if Beijing provides military assistance to Iran, “If the US insists on using this as an excuse to impose additional tariffs on China, China will definitely take resolute countermeasures.”
Guo said reports of China’s provison of weapons to Iran, including shoulder-fired missiles, “are completely fabricated”.
UPDATE 0745 GMT:
Four sources say the US and Iran will return to Islamabad for talks later this week.
UPDATE 0653 GMT:
Arab officials say Saudi Arabia is urging the Trump camp to end its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Saudis fear Iran and its allies, Yemen’s Houthis, could close the Bab al-Mandab Strait on the southern side of the Arabian Peninsula.
UPDATE 0648 GMT:
Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi briefed Gulf and European states on Tehran’s offer over stockpile of highly enriched uranium and supervision of the Strait of Hormuz, made during weekend talks with the US in Islamabad.
Araghchi spoke with foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, France, and Germany. He emphasized that Iran did not regard the talks as exhausted.
The US reportedly asked for a 20-year moratorium on Iran’s uranium enrichment. Tehran responded by offering a 5-year halt.
UPDATE 0643 GMT:
An Israeli soldier has been killed in combat in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military said one reservist was moderately injured and two lightly injured. They were evacuated for medical treatment at a hospital.
UPDATE 0638 GMT:
A US-sanctioned tanker has tested the American blockade, travelling through the strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.
The Chinese-owned, Chinese-crewed tanker Rich Starry was blacklisted by the US in 2023 for helping Iran evade energy sanctions. It is not clear if it visited Iranian ports before its transit or is carrying cargo.
UPDATE 0627 GMT:
Iran has condemned the US blockade of its ports and the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani wrote UN Secretary General António Guterres, “The imposition of a maritime blockade constitutes a grave violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The “unlawful” blockade also “constitutes a serious violation of the fundamental principles of the international law of the sea”, Iravani said.
UPDATE 0619 GMT:
Hezbollah says it will not abide by any agreements from direct Lebanon-Israel talks, which begin this week in the US.
Wafiq Safa, a member of Hezbollah’s political council, said, “As for the outcomes of this negotiation between Lebanon and the Israeli enemy, we are not interested in or concerned with them at all.”
In a televised address, Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem urged the Lebanese Government to pull out of the negotiations.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: The Trump camp imposed a blockade on Iranian ports on Monday while blustering over its next move in the 47-day US-Israel War on Iran and Lebanon.
US Central Command posted before the 5:30 p.m. (2 p.m. GMT) launch, “The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.”
The US will “not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports,” CENTCOM said.
Donald Trump proclaimed, without evidence, that 34 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. Shipping monitors put the number at eight.
Trump also claimed, “We’ve been called by the other side…[who would] like to make a deal very badly.”
Vice President J.D. Vance said there had been “some progress” in last weekend’s talks in Islamabad but maintained Trumpist demands.
I really think the ball is in the Iranian court, because we put a lot on the table. We actually made very clear what our red lines were.
He said there was “no flexibility” on American control of Iran’s enriched uranium, and a verification mechanism to ensure no development of a nuclear warhead.
It’s one thing for the Iranians to say that they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. It’s another thing for us to put in place the mechanism to ensure that’s not going to happen.
But Vance asserted, “They moved in our direction.” He said he thought Iranian negotiators, who included Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, were “unable to cut a deal” and needed to get approval from others in Tehran.
US Considering 2nd Set of Talks with Iran
Privately, US officials were less strident than Trump. They cited internal discussions about a possible second meeting with Iran before the temporary ceasefire ends on April 21. They include consderation of dates, locations, and mediators.
“We need to be prepared to stand something up quickly should things head in that direction,” an official told CNN.
Another said, “There is continued engagement between the US and Iran and forward motion on trying to get an agreement.”
The sources said the US sought a 20-year moratorium on Iran’s uranium enrichment during the talks in Islamabad. Iran responded with a “single digit” timeframe, reportedly five years.
The US also wanted Tehran to “remove all highly enriched uranium from the country.” The Iranians said they would accept a “monitored process of down-blending”.
