Bloomberg: Technical talks between the US and Iran continue over a permanent deal

A U.S. official told Bloomberg News on Friday that talks between the United States and Iran regarding a permanent peace agreement are ongoing, despite military escalation on Wednesday and Thursday. According to the agency’s report citing the official, who wished to remain anonymous, “the United States remains committed to finding a diplomatic solution with Iran.” The official described the ongoing discussions as “technical talks aimed at reaching a permanent peace agreement by approximately mid-August.” The United States and Iran are seeking to resolve complex issues, most notably Tehran’s nuclear program, with the U.S. pushing for a temporary freeze on uranium enrichment and the abandonment of its current stockpiles of near-ready uranium for nuclear weapons.

Previous reports indicated efforts by Pakistan, Qatar, and other regional mediators to ease tensions between the United States and Iran and revive negotiations between the two sides. While U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday the termination of the memorandum of understanding and the ceasefire with Iran, and ordered two rounds of airstrikes, he is focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and remains keen to avoid a return to full-scale war, according to the U.S. news site Axios.

Mediators believe that, regardless of the recent escalation, both sides have made progress toward reaching an agreement in previous rounds of talks and wish to prevent the collapse of the memorandum of understanding. A regional source from one of the mediating countries told Axios that mediators believe Iran’s recent attacks in the Hormuz region were orchestrated by elements within the Iranian regime who oppose the memorandum of understanding and seek to undermine it. Sources revealed that Qatari, Pakistani, Turkish, Egyptian, and Saudi officials held multiple phone calls on Wednesday with U.S. and Iranian officials in an attempt to de-escalate the situation.