There hasn’t been much lately in terms of talks between the U.S. and Iran over reopening the Strait of Hormuz or bringing about a negotiated end to the Iran War. The situation seems to be in a holding pattern until after the midterm elections next month, with President Donald Trump promising not to attack Iran before the elections.
Iran has reportedly made clear what it will require to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and it’s similar to what it’s been offering throughout the fall.
Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 3rd Class Mark Ruiz, assigned to Air Department aboard the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), prepares a Carrier Air Wing 8 F/A-18E Super Hornet attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 37 for launch on the flight deck, Aug. 1, 2025. Gerald R. Ford, a first-in-class aircraft carrier and deployed flagship of Carrier Strike Group Twelve, is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations to support the warfighting effectiveness, lethality and readiness of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, and defend U.S., Allied and partner interests in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mariano Lopez)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hosts a teleconference with NFL players Aaron Jones and Elijah Higgins during their visit to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing in Kuwait from the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., April 2, 2025. (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)
According to a Bloomberg News report on Wednesday, Iran is demanding that the U.S. lift its naval blockade of the Strait and return to the tenets of the June Memorandum of Understanding, which collapsed the following month.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed Iran’s position in an interview with the Iraqi Media Network.
“What we are asking of the Americans is that they adhere to all the commitments contained in the previously signed Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding,” the foreign minister said in the interview, Bloomberg said. Once the U.S. returns to those terms, he said, the Strait could be reopened.
Is This a Breakthrough?
No, it probably isn’t.
Once again, this isn’t very different from what Iran has been saying for months.
And the U.S. has made it clear it’s not interested in taking that step.
The Memorandum, after all, failed the first time, at least in part because of disagreements over vague wording and what exactly had been agreed to. Other provisions included lifting sanctions and unfreezing funds, neither of which the Trump Administration has shown much appetite for.
The U.S. has instead opted to put more economic pressure on Iran, while also talking about the possibility of more strikes after the midterm elections. The Jerusalem Post reported this week that Trump came “very close” to approving new strikes on Iran on at least one recent occasion, after telling reporters last week, “wait till you see what we do to Iran.”
Per Bloomberg, Iran fears the U.S. will enter any talks intending to attack later. Iran’s president said just that this week.
“Our nation today does not trust the United States and believes that if we negotiate, they will attack us again,” President Masoud Pezeshkian said this week during a meeting with Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir, who has been leading the mediations between the sides, when Munir recently visited Tehran.
“We have been and remain ready for dialogue, but the Americans must first lift the threats and sanctions before we talk,” the Iranian president said.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported earlier this week that it’s not just Trump who has his eyes on the midterms: Iran is also eyeing next month’s vote, and “deliberately prolonged talks” to hurt the president’s position.
“Iran is preparing for renewed Israeli and U.S. attacks, not for a deal with America to end the war,” one senior official told Reuters. “The clerical establishment is determined not to give Trump a political victory.”
“Eliminate the Regime”
Trump, last week, announced his endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s re-election, becoming the first U.S. president ever to directly endorse an Israeli candidate. The two countries had launched the Iran War together in February.
In a speech this week, the prime minister declared that “we must complete the elimination of the Iranian regime.”
Eliminating the Iranian regime was clearly a goal early on in the war, although Trump has been talking less about that in recent months.
In a Washington Post op-ed last month, Matthew Gould noted that while Trump talked about helping the Iranian opposition early in the war, that goal has clearly receded, at least for the U.S. And the regime has remained resilient, despite warnings that a collapse was imminent.
Gould noted that the IRGC and the Iranian regime have survived the massive protests earlier this year, and then the killing in February of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, which kicked off the war. He said the regime’s fall would require several factors, including people blaming the regime for conditions, access to technology, and ultimately the regime crumbling.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
