The ceasefire negotiated between the US and Iran may still be holding. But the prospect of the all-important Strait of Hormuz trade artery reopening appears as remote as ever, especially after the Trump administration’s decision to block any shipping to and from Iranian ports. The US naval blockade came in response to Iran's attempts to control the waterway by charging a toll on commercial shipping transiting the Strait and preventing unfriendly countries from accessing the Strait at all.
Re-establishing freedom of navigation in this vital waterway was one of the key items on the agenda during the first round of negotiations between Iran and the US, held in Pakistan earlier this month—the first time direct talks between Washington and Tehran had occurred since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Apart from seeking to resolve the Strait of Hormuz issue, the talks also focused on Iran’s nuclear ambitions and international sanctions on Tehran.
Yet, despite the two sides holding talks lasting around 20 hours in Islamabad, the meeting ended without agreement. Vice President JD Vance, who led the US delegation, claimed that the main reason the talks failed was that the Iranians failed to understand the Trump administration's insistence that Iran would never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.
But Iranian officials openly blame Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the failure, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying a phone call between Vance and Netanyahu during the negotiations shifted the focus from the US‑Iran agenda to Israeli interests.
