The US administration has sought to persuade the Iranian side to back down from its plans to impose financial transit fees on commercial ships passing through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Washington has presented a clear vision to Tehran that the huge economic returns and gains it will achieve in the event of a comprehensive nuclear deal, the lifting of sanctions and the development of the oil sector will be hundreds of times greater than any potential revenue from shipping tolls, calling on Iranian negotiators to think more broadly and more comprehensively to ensure the success of the diplomatic process.

Sixty Day Deadline and the Danger of Collapse

The US and Iranian sides have given themselves a 60-day deadline to finalize the comprehensive nuclear deal, based on the memorandum of understanding signed between them on June 18, which stipulated a cessation of hostilities, the lifting of the naval blockade and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Axios, field reports and informed sources indicated that only two weeks after this deadline, deep disagreements still exist between the two delegations over the terms of the memorandum and its implementation mechanisms, which is likely to tip the balance of the collapse of the initial understandings at the expense of reaching a final and binding agreement.

Sovereignty and Alternative Shipping Corridors

The Axios report revealed that the roots of the recent escalation against some commercial ships are due to the establishment of a new shipping lane in the Strait of Hormuz near the Omani coast, a measure that provoked Tehran's anger and prompted it to uphold its right to impose joint sovereignty over the strait in cooperation with the Sultanate of Oman, manage the waterway, and impose fees immediately after the expiration of the deadline.

The United States, on the other hand, opposed this approach, considering the strait as an international waterway that requires the approval of the six Gulf Arab states, a sensitive issue that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed with his Gulf counterparts during the Bahrain meetings last week amid ongoing Gulf consultations on the future of the management of the strait.

Truce Understandings and Mutual Messages

Messages of tug-of-war between Washington and Tehran continued in parallel with the reaching of a temporary understanding to maintain military calm on the ground to provide a stable diplomatic climate that would allow negotiations to be completed away from direct escalation.

While President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance have expressed cautious optimism about the course of the Doha talks, Washington has issued stern warnings that any Iranian attack will be met with a stronger military response targeting Tehran's influence in the region.

The sources pointed out that the US negotiators informed Iran of their efforts to ensure that Israel adheres to the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, which Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi commented on referring to Trump's commitment to restraining his allies, threatening to teach them a lesson in case of non-compliance.

Doha Round Concludes and Signs of Progress

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs and Chief Negotiator, Kazem Gharibabadi, announced the conclusion of the round of indirect technical negotiations in the Qatari capital Doha after holding intensive meetings with the Qatari prime minister, foreign minister, and Qatari and Pakistani mediation teams.

For his part, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid al-Ansari confirmed that positive progress has been made on several issues related to the Islamabad memorandum of understanding emanating from the Lake Lucerne summit, noting that the next round of negotiations will be scheduled as soon as possible after the end of the funeral ceremony of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.