Iran remains open to talks with the United States under a Pakistan-brokered interim deal reached in June to end the conflict, the Iranian ambassador to Pakistan says.
Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam said that Iran recently conveyed through Pakistan that it was prepared to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the US lifted its naval blockade but accused President Donald Trump of rejecting the proposal by insisting the blockade of Iranian ports would continue.
Pakistan and Qatar helped broker the June agreement, which sought to restore shipping through the strait, lift the US naval blockade and begin negotiations toward a broader deal addressing Iran's nuclear program.
Moghadam, speaking at a seminar in Islamabad, said that Iranian officials had conveyed their willingness to reopen the strait during visits to Tehran by Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, provided the US ended its blockade.
It comes as Iranian military commander General Ali Abdollahi said Iran would not allow US warships to enter the Persian Gulf or approach Iran’s territorial waters.
Abdollahi, chief of staff of Iran's armed forces and commander of its joint military command, also warned Trump that US forces would never return to the Strait of Hormuz, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian, in remarks broadcast on state TV on Saturday, blamed the United States for the failure of an interim deal with Iran but said there should be a new attempt at concluding it.
"We were having negotiations, the cowards messed everything up ... I still think we should go and conclude it," Pezeshkian said.
Pezeshkian added that many Iranians lack basic food due to the precarious economic situation in the country and US sanctions.
In society there are many people who have difficulty even obtaining their daily bread due to the war and the current stalemate, Pezeshkian said during an official event in Tehran, government portals reported.
The leader said that in a situation of "uncertainty" no plans can be made for the country's future and underlined the need to resolve the issue.
With negotiations stalled and military hostilities halted, Iran and the US have been in a stand-off over the Strait of Hormuz, with continuous Iranian attacks against ships attempting to cross it.
The Iranian economy has contracted by 10.1 per cent between March and May of this year, with declines of 26.4 per cent in sectors such as crude oil and natural gas extraction.
The year-on-year inflation stands at 89.8 per cent while the rial currency has been recording new historical lows against the US dollar every few weeks.
with EFE and Reuters
