US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his administration was closely watching mounting economic pressure on Iran, while Tehran maintained that direct negotiations would not resume unless Washington complied with an interim agreement reached in June.
In an interview with Axios, Trump said the United States was taking a relatively restrained approach while monitoring Iran’s economic situation following months of military confrontation, sanctions and other pressure.
“We are low keying it,” Trump said, adding that Washington was only “semi-negotiating” with Tehran and was watching the impact of high inflation and financial pressures on Iran.
Separately, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran and the United States were not currently engaged in direct negotiations, although messages continued to be exchanged through intermediaries.
Araghchi said Tehran would not resume talks while it believed Washington remained in breach of the interim agreement signed in June.
He also said discussions between Iran and Oman concerning arrangements for the Strait of Hormuz were in their final stages, but stressed that the agreement itself would not immediately reopen the strategic waterway.
According to Araghchi, the arrangement with Muscat would establish new shipping lanes to be used once Washington met other Iranian conditions and the strait was eventually reopened to maritime traffic.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical route for global energy supplies, making negotiations over its reopening a major issue in efforts to ease regional tensions.