Despite the ceasefire, the political landscape between Washington and Tehran remains mired in complexity. The White House ties any breakthrough to Iran's delivery of its stockpile of enriched uranium, while the naval blockade continues.
In contrast, Tehran refuses to negotiate "under threat," with President Bazeshkian asserting that the blockade is the main obstacle, while Minister Araqchi believes that Washington and Israel bear the responsibility for the repercussions.
Strait of Hormuz. Weapons of Charges and Detention
While the IRGC announced the detention of container ships, the Iranian parliament revealed that it had begun collecting the first financial revenues from the "transit fees" imposed in the strait, deeming its full reopening "not possible" as long as the naval blockade and Israeli military operations continued.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Hamid Reza Haji Babaei said on Thursday that the first revenues derived from the fees of the Strait of Hormuz have been deposited in the Central Bank's account, according to the Tasnim news agency.
Trump has not set a deadline
While the White House denied setting a deadline for receiving an Iranian response, President Trump left the door open to the possibility of holding quick negotiations within "36 to 72 hours."
The White House called Tehran's offer generous and said, "We are still waiting for a unified response from the Iranian leadership to our generous offer."
The White House announced yesterday evening that President Donald Trump has not set a deadline for ending the ceasefire extension he announced on Tuesday or a deadline by which Iran must submit a proposal on ending the war.
White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt said: "The president has not set a deadline for receiving an Iranian proposal, contrary to some of the reports I have seen today. Ultimately, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces will set the timetable."
Pakistan is betting on progress
As the fate of the Iran-US talks awaits amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran, Pakistan continues its efforts to bring the delegations of the two countries together in its capital to continue the second round of negotiations.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed on Thursday during his meeting with US Ambassador to Islamabad Natalie Baker that his country expects progress with Iran on negotiations.
He also stressed that US President Donald Trump's extension of the ceasefire was an important step to ease tensions.
The minister also expressed hope that Washington and Tehran would provide an opportunity for a diplomatic and peaceful solution, according to Pakistani media.
Two days ago, the US president announced the extension of the ceasefire, which began at dawn on April 8, in order to make way for a diplomatic solution.
187 oil tankers
Meanwhile, navigational data published by Starboard Intelligence and the CSIS Center reported that 187 ships and oil tankers have successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz since its closure began on March 4, about 45 days ago, at an average of only 4 ships per day.
The data also indicated that 23% of the ships that successfully crossed were registered in China, and that only 13 oil tankers crossed the strait on April 17 before it was closed again.
The data showed that this rate was much lower than normal, as more than 150 ships and oil tankers were crossing the corridor daily.
The United States and European countries have previously stressed that imposing tariffs on ships in this vital corridor, through which one-fifth of the world's oil and gas shipments pass through, is unacceptable and illegal, while Iran has reiterated over the past period that the situation in Hormuz will not return to what it was before the war, hinting at a "new regime."
It also recently linked the opening of the strait to the lifting of the blockade imposed by US forces on Iranian ports, with the aim of lifting economic pressure on Tehran and pushing it to negotiate and accept US demands.