Iran president offers US olive branch before Putin meeting

Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, expressed on Tuesday his willingness to rejoin the June ceasefire agreement with the United States, provided Washington does the same, following the first exchange of fire between the two nations in a month. This conciliatory remark came during Pezeshkian's appearance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan.

The June memorandum of understanding led to an immediate ceasefire and a 60-day negotiation period aimed at achieving a broader peace deal. Iran committed to clearing the Strait of Hormuz of mines and permitting unrestricted passage for ships, while the U.S. agreed to cease its naval blockade, terminate sanctions, issue waivers for Iranian oil exports, and commence work on a reconstruction plan for Iran.

However, the accord was short-lived, and despite a recent lull in hostilities, the U.S. and Iran exchanged fire on the weekend. The U.S. targeted Iranian missile launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran retaliated by launching missiles at American military facilities in Jordan, which were intercepted.

Pezeshkian, who advocates for a negotiated conclusion to the conflict, faces resistance from the country's influential Revolutionary Guard, which demands greater concessions from the U.S., including control over the Strait of Hormuz and financial compensation for the war. Such demands would likely prove unappealing to Washington.

In the broader Middle East, leaders from China, Russia, and India are attending the Kyrgyzstan summit, which aims to counterbalance U.S. global influence. Iran's Foreign Minister has already met with his Chinese counterpart, and Pezeshkian was scheduled to converse with Russian President Vladimir Putin later on Tuesday.

Recent attacks on two ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz have heightened tensions. The British Maritime Trade Operations Center reported a projectile strike on a tanker in the Persian Gulf, causing no casualties or environmental damage. Additionally, a tanker off the coast of Oman experienced an incident involving military forces, leaving the vessel adrift with no reported casualties. Iran has a history of targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz as it maintains its blockade of Iranian ports.