Six months of silence: questions mount over absence of Iran’s leader Mojtaba Khamenei

Tehran has signaled that diplomacy may be a possibility six months into the ongoing war with the United States, but only if the US stops its pressure campaign. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on social media that diplomacy is not impossible, provided the US understands that pressure does not work. Diplomatic efforts have been ongoing since late February, with a ceasefire and memorandum of understanding signed in April and June, respectively.

However, no final peace deal has been reached yet and the US has declared "economic warfare" against Iran. In recent talks, Araghchi met his Qatari counterpart to discuss Hormuz, which was closed at the beginning of the conflict. While a US naval counter-blockade is affecting Iran's oil supplies, Iran insists on keeping the strait closed until the US fulfills its commitments under the June memorandum, which includes removing sanctions and lifting the counter-blockade.

Iran has held talks with Oman and Pakistan on the future of Hormuz, but the US aims to economically crush Iran, and analysts believe that the US plan would require unlikely cooperation from China to be successful.