The Israeli-U.S. invasion of Iran, which began on 28 February, entered its seventh month on Friday, as Tehran wrapped up a week of high-level visits the region, with officials from Pakistan, Oman and Qatar helping to negotiate a way out of the current stalemate in the conflict.
The high-profile visits this week came amid high tensions and stalled peace talks between Tehran and Washington over a war that the White House and Tel Aviv reportedly planned to win in four weeks, but lasted six months.
Pakistani Army Chief and a top negotiator in the indirect Iran-U.S. talks, Field Marshal Asim Munir, was the first dignitary to visit Tehran on Monday in a bid to resuscitate the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the Iranian and U.S. presidents in June.
He was followed by Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who visited Iran’s capital on Tuesday, with an agenda to negotiate a bilateral agreement with the Islamic Republic about maritime traffic at the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait, which links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, was the conduit for 20 per cent of the world's oil supply before the conflict. Its fluctuation between opening and closing drove down traffic and sent up the price of oil, causing a significant impact at times to global energy supplies.
Diplomats from both sides this week issued a joint statement saying Tehran and Muscat agreed on a provisional corridor at the narrow waterway and demining the Strait.
Finally, Tehran hosted the Qatari Prime Minister, who also serves as Foreign Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, on Thursday. According to unconfirmed reports, Al Thani may have been carrying a message from the U.S. side for Iran.
Following the meeting, in a post on X, Al Thani said that in his meeting with Iranian officials, he underscored "the importance of respecting freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international law."
All three visiting dignitaries this week also met with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker and key negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Secretary of Supreme National Security Council and former commander of the Revolutionary Guards.
Following the expiry of the fragile ceasefire deal between Tehran and Washington, the week was also highlighted with the announcement of stricter U.S. economic sanctions on Iran.
While the U.S. says there are no negotiations currently underway, the Iranian side has stressed with mediators that any discussions must include Washington’s fulfilment of its obligations under the June ceasefire deal.
Meanwhile, the Islamabad MoU has been referred to by certain political circles in Tehran and Washington as a “memorandum of no understanding” or at best a “memorandum of little understanding”.
Iran and U.S. appear to be bracing for a prolonged stand-off in the wake of Washington’s new economic sanctions, with the current leadership in Tehran determined to outlast President Donald Trump’s own presidency.
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A TV channel was struck during a live broadcast on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least three people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Meanwhile, drones hit civilian infrastructure in Russia's southwestern Saratov region.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly launched two ballistic missile attacks against a U.S. Navy warship over the past two days.
Wildfires have broken out in Türkiye’s Antalya province, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate as strong winds fuelled the flames.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday they attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, calling the strikes a response to a U.S. attack on five Iranian tankers.
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Iran has warned it will retaliate against any future U.S. attacks, saying American energy interests and infrastructure across the Gulf could become targets in a further escalation of the conflict.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that the United States must recognise that the “rules of the game” in its war against Iran had changed “before it is too late”, a day after Washington struck several Iranian tankers in the Gulf.
An Iranian tanker was hit by U.S. forces on Saturday near Iran's key oil export hub, Kharg Island, in the Gulf, the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, according to three senior Iranian sources. Washington is escalating pressure in hopes of securing concessions in future negotiations.
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