Negotiations between the United States and Iran in Pakistan have hit a stalemate over who controls the Strait of Hormuz, with both sides digging in over one of the most consequential issues in the talks.
According to the Financial Times, two people briefed on the discussions said the reopening of the strait remained a central sticking point. One said Iranian negotiators were insisting that Tehran retain sovereign control over the waterway and retain the right to levy tolls on passing vessels, while flatly rejecting proposals for any form of joint control with the US — even after a high-level meeting between US Vice-President JD Vance and Iran's wartime leader Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Negotiators were holding a working dinner, to be followed by technical discussions later on Saturday night, one of the sources added.
AFP reported that Vance had earlier expressed cautious optimism, saying he expected the talks to be "positive" but cautioning Iranian negotiators "not to play us." Iran, for its part, said it was prepared to reach a deal but did not "trust" Washington.
Iranian state media offered a sharper characterisation of the impasse. Fars news agency reported that the US was making "excessive demands" regarding the strait, and that several other American positions were similarly unacceptable. The Tasnim news agency also flagged Washington's demands over the strategic waterway as a point of serious contention.
The strait, through which roughly a fifth of global crude oil passes, has been closed since the US and Israel began bombing Iran in late February.