Middle East Crisis Peace Talks

Iran: The Strait of Hormuz will not be the same as before

A peace agreement between Iran and the US would mean the end of the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, says Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to AFP. But also that the management of ship traffic through the narrow passage will henceforth be handled by Iran and Oman in cooperation.

–Iran is determined that the administration of the Strait of Hormuz will not be the same as before, Araghchi tells Iranian state television.

Talks have reportedly begun with Oman about how the strait should be managed in the future.

US President Donald Trump said earlier on Friday that Iran will be forced to abandon its nuclear program, but according to Abbas Araghchi, this will only be a later issue.

Switzerland has offered to host the parties for the formal peace signing, writes TT.

Iran Expert: Indication that there is something concrete

The new information about an upcoming peace agreement between Iran and the US is much more credible than previous information that only came from Donald Trump, says Iran expert Rouzbeh Parsi to SR Ekot.

Parsi points out that the information now comes from Pakistan, which is mediating between the parties.

– Pakistan, as a mediating country, only has one thing to lose if they go out and say something they have no evidence for, he tells the news program.

According to Parsi, the announcement is a strong indication that there is something concrete that all parties sufficiently agree on.

Expert on the Agreement: “It’s for Real This Time”

Donald Trump announced that an agreement was close on Thursday, mediator Pakistan stated that a final text has been agreed upon and on Friday evening, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on state television that they had won against the US.

The interpretation from Fredrik Meiton, head of the Swedish Institute’s Middle East and North Africa Program, is that it is “for real this time”.

– There have even been rumors that an agreement will be signed as early as Sunday, but that may be a bit optimistic, Meiton tells TV4 Nyheterna.

Jan Hallenberg, professor emeritus of political science at the Swedish National Defense University, is also optimistic. But he also points to ambiguities in several issues and tells TV4 that he wants to see the agreed text first.