Finally, after months of a renewed war between the United States and Iran, Pakistan and mediator Qatar said Tuesday that talks between both rivals regarding managing the Strait of Hormuz were moving forward, despite new attacks against shipping in those waters.
According to a story by Newsmax, the comments gave hope that Iran and the U.S. can end an impasse that has in effect blocked the vital waterway, through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flowed before the war. The outlooks for a negotiation had appeared to dim on Monday after the both sides traded barbs.
Still, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said in an interview with Bloomberg News that “things are shaping up again in favor of a peace arrangement or a deal.”
“The signals in the last two three days are that we are close to some sort of an arrangement.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran on Tuesday, Araqchi’s Telegram channel said on Tuesday, without providing further details.
In another positive sign, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson told a briefing earlier on Tuesday that other talks between Oman and Iran over management of the Strait of Hormuz were advancing.
During the war, Pakistan and Qatar have been the chief negotiators in the conflict in which thousands have been killed — mainly in Iran and Lebanon — since U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran started on February 28. Iran has countered by striking U.S. assets and infrastructure in countries including Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Oil fell back on Tuesday after hitting a one-week high earlier in trading although it remains much higher than before the war.
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