Despite the glimmer of hope for its renewal, it threatens to completely raze its infrastructure, while the battle for control brings it to the brink.
Diplomatic fever in Islamabad
Donald Trump said US negotiators, again led by JD Vance and Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, would travel to Pakistan on Monday for talks with Iran, reviving hopes of extending a ceasefire that expires this week. However, Washington and Tehran remain locked in a dangerous stalemate over the Straits of Hormuz.
Although Iran did not immediately confirm the talks, the prospect of a meeting comes at a time when navigation in the critical waterway remains frozen. Iran threatens to close the Straits, while the US maintains a naval blockade on ships heading to and from Iranian ports.
Trump ultimatum: “We will level factories and bridges”
In his post, Trump accused Iran of violating the ceasefire by firing on ships passing through the Straits. His rhetoric was unprecedentedly harsh, directly threatening to destroy the country’s political infrastructure.
“If they do not accept the agreement offered by the US, we are going to neutralize every power plant and every bridge in Iran,” the US president wrote.
The thorn in the Straits of Hormuz
For the Islamic Republic, closing the Straits is its most powerful weapon, threatening the global economy and causing political cost to Trump. On the other hand, the American blockade is strangling the already weakened Iranian economy.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf clarified Tehran’s position: “It is impossible for others to pass through the Straits of Hormuz, as long as we cannot.” Despite the gap, Kalibaf emphasized that Iran still seeks peace, noting that “there will be no retreat in the field of diplomacy.”
Risk of global energy crisis
After a brief attempt to resume crossings on Saturday, ships in the Persian Gulf were grounded again. Two Indian-flagged ships came under fire and were forced to retreat, returning uncertainty to the Straits, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil trade passes.
The situation threatens to deepen the global energy crisis and push the two sides into a new, generalized conflict as the war enters its eighth week.
Pakistan’s role and the nuclear issue
Pakistan is working feverishly as a mediator to “bridge” the differences. According to information, American security teams are already in Islamabad, in preparation for the talks.
However, the “thorn” of the nuclear program remains. Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, called handing over the stockpile of enriched uranium to the US “unthinkable”, although he said Tehran was ready to discuss “any other concerns”.
With the ceasefire expiring in less than 24 hours, the eyes of the international community are on Pakistan, in one of the most critical diplomatic confrontations of recent years.
