IRGC benefiting from false hopes of renewed negotiations, expert tells ‘Post’
For the first time since the Memorandum of Understanding failed in July, Araghchi and the American envoys communicated through mediators on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Beni Sabti, an INSS Iran expert, criticized the indirect talks between the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as merely a "half-truth" of the current situation. These talks resumed for the first time since the Memorandum of Understanding failed in July, taking place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Sabti noted that the promises to open the Strait of Hormuz were irrelevant, given Iran's ongoing attacks on ships and attempts to control the strait.
Despite the Iranian official's claim that Tehran was willing to reopen the strait if Washington committed to resolving the conflict diplomatically, a cargo vessel was struck by Iranian forces just a day later, resulting in two casualties. The National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Iran's parliament confirmed that the Islamic Republic had no intention of abandoning its efforts to control the Strait of Hormuz, adopting provisions allowing authorities to seize up to 20% of a vessel's cargo or its value from ships violating Iran's passage rules.
Sabti explained that Iran's negotiations were merely a "theater, a lie that they bring." He stated that the seven conditions on which negotiations could take place were unfulfillable, and Iran was aware of this. The spokesperson for Iran's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Hassan Qashqavi, acknowledged that Iran's strategy of holding the Strait of Hormuz hostage was slowly failing, pointing to reports of Saudi Arabia restarting operations at its East-West Pipeline and growing frustration with the Houthis.
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