Iran rules out resuming negotiations before US compensation

Iran rules out resuming negotiations before US compensation

Iran's top diplomat says no direct talks between Tehran and Washington are currently taking place. He says the United States has violated a memorandum of understanding, and must pay compensation.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke on an Iranian media outlet on Sunday. He indicated Iran believes it will not be possible to resume negotiations until the alleged violations have been resolved. The MOU, signed in June, aims to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Araghchi also noted Iran is in the final stages of negotiations with Oman to determine a new sea route in the key waterway. But he said this does not mean the Strait will be reopened. He said a series of other conditions must be fulfilled first. Iran's Mehr News Agency said on Sunday that President Masoud Pezeshkian met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

Tehran apparently intends to show Khamenei is in good health. But he has not been seen in public since March, after he was reportedly injured in the military operation that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In the United States, The Wall Street Journal cited several government officials as saying President Donald Trump "had been laying the groundwork to declare victory" if Tehran reopens the Strait of Hormuz. The report also says Trump hinted to senior aides that he would be willing to walk away without a deal on Iran's nuclear program.

At the same time, The Wall Street Journal suggests Iran's heightened demands have "narrowed" Trump's options for "walking away" from the conflict.