A top Iranian official said that his country is the only one responsible for demining the Strait of Hormuz as Iran and the United States re-engage in talks to end hostilities.
A point of contention between the United States and Iran is reopening the Strait, a key waterway through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil passes on a given day. Iran has said that it wants to be the sole party responsible for traffic in the Strait, while U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration said the proposal is unacceptable.
Under a memorandum of understanding signed by the two countries earlier this month, Iran was to begin demining the Strait.
The operation “will be carried out solely by Iran and not by any other country,” said Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, rejecting a French proposal to remove mines from the waterway.
“We strongly advise France not to make the situation more complicated with its provocations,” he said, according to state-run Iranian media.
The comments come as two U.S. envoys arrived in Qatar on June 30 for talks with mediators about the implementation of a deal to end the war with Iran. They include Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and a former White House adviser.
Meanwhile, there was a weekend of crossfire in the Persian Gulf over efforts to reopen the strait to shipping traffic, with the U.S. military saying Iran launched an attack on a commercial vessel in the strait. American forces responded by striking Iranian military targets before the attacks were called off on Sunday.
The envoys won’t be having direct negotiations with Iranian diplomats while in Qatar’s capital, Doha, said Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry. Instead, mediators are serving as go-betweens for the talks.
“Technical meetings between the parties have continued, both directly and indirectly, since the talks held in Lausanne, (Switzerland), through communication with the various parties involved,” Qatar officials said in a statement. U.S. and Iranian “delegations remain in session, noting that these meetings are taking place in different contexts and with the participation of mediators to ensure their continuity, whether in Doha or elsewhere,” it added.
The United States and Iran agreed to an interim deal under the memorandum earlier this month that calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of enriched uranium. It also waives U.S.-backed oil sanctions on the country, calls for free traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, and gives each side 60 days to hammer out broader agreements, among other provisions.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in comments carried by state-run media on June 29 that Qatar also plans to release $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets.
Before the memorandum of understanding was signed, the closure of the strait sent oil and energy prices skyrocketing across the world. The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil at one point traded above $110 per barrel in mid-May. It was priced at around $73 as of Tuesday afternoon.
Trump on Monday highlighted the drop in oil and gas prices worldwide and in the United States, respectively, while calling for investigations into gas stations that allegedly price-gouge consumers.
“Gasoline Retailers must get their Prices down, IMMEDIATELY!” Trump said on June 29 on Truth Social. “They’re too high considering that Oil is now at $68 a Barrel, and heading south. The Retailers must quickly react to this statement, and do what they know is right — DROP YOUR PRICE FOR OUR GREAT AMERICAN PEOPLE!”
