Talks between the US and Iran to end the nearly four‑month war in the Middle East have stalled amid intense fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. On Saturday, Iran again shut down passage through the Strait of Hormuz over the fighting.
Iran has delayed negotiations that were meant to begin in Switzerland on Friday because of the ongoing fighting, Iran’s state-run broadcaster Press TV reported, citing Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei. Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon have violated the interim peace deal, he said.
Under the terms of the agreement, the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, should immediately end, Baghaei said. The US must also lift its naval blockade against Iran for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, he said.
The US and Iran signed on Friday an initial peace agreement aimed at ending the conflict between the two countries. The agreement includes a permanent end to hostilities, the Strait of Hormuz reopening within 30 days, removal of the US naval blockade, $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets, and a 60-day nuclear negotiating window extendable by mutual consent.
The stalled talks and renewed clashes have injected fresh volatility into energy markets, with traders watching for any disruption to crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz. The uncertainty surrounding the peace process, sanctions relief, and Iran’s control over the Strait has kept Brent supported, despite a sharp weekly decline.
