US Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday said that negotiating a deal with Iran could ‘take a few days’, quashing hopes for an imminent end to the conflict after US forces conducted what Washington called defensive strikes in southern Iran.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they reserved the right to retaliate against any ceasefire violations.
Both sides had indicated progress on a memorandum of understanding that could halt the war and restart shipping through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, while giving negotiators 60 days to negotiate more complex issues including Iran’s nuclear programme.
Following strikes against targets that the US said included boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, Rubio told reporters on his plane in India’s Jaipur that the Strait of Hormuz has to be open ‘one way or the other’.
The war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, has caused an unprecedented oil supply shock, pushing up oil prices along with the costs of fuel, fertiliser and food. Iran responded to the strikes by launching drones and missiles at Gulf states that host US bases.
Only a few dozen vessels have been passing through the Strait of Hormuz compared with 125 to 140 daily previously. About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually flows through the waterway.
Iran has been letting some ships through, giving preference to ships linked to countries with which it has alliances or close ties, and striking government-to-government agreements, Reuters has reported.
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