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The Foreign Minister Araghchi of Iran stated Saturday that Tehran has made no decision to resume negotiations with Washington, and that the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding was never a ceasefire — and therefore cannot be extended. Speaking in remarks carried by Iran's Mehr News Agency, Araghchi drew a sharp distinction between what Tehran and Washington appear to believe was agreed in Islamabad.
"We did not have a ceasefire to extend," he said. "We had an end to the war, which has now entered a new situation." Araghchi said the United States had violated the MOU, and that fighting had resumed as a result.
He confirmed that both Qatar and Pakistan are continuing to relay messages between the parties, but made clear that message-passing between mediators does not constitute negotiations. "No decision has yet been taken to resume talks with America," he said.
On the separate Iran-Oman technical discussions over the Strait of Hormuz, Araghchi said progress was being made on defining new maritime routes through the waterway, but separated those talks entirely from the question of reopening Hormuz. "The routes that previously existed no longer work, and a new route must be defined," he said, describing the process as technical-level discussions involving armed forces from both countries. A temporary route could be finalized soon.
Araghchi was direct about what a Hormuz reopening actually requires. "Whether the Strait of Hormuz reopens or not depends on the fulfilment of other conditions to which America must adhere," he said.
The statement came as Polymarket odds showed roughly 70 percent confidence that the ceasefire — whatever its terms — would hold through mid-August, following reports that Washington and Tehran had informally agreed to extend the 60-day window under the Islamabad MOU. Tehran now appears to be disputing that framing publicly, suggesting the two sides remain far apart on the basic architecture of any settlement.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted global energy flows since the Iran war began in late February 2026. US pressure through a naval blockade, targeted sanctions, and airstrikes has battered the Iranian economy — which Araghchi's own government has described as a "survival economy" in recent weeks. As of August 15, formal diplomatic channels are frozen. Back-channel mediators remain active. Both sides are publicly hardening their stated positions.
Iran negotiates like a 15 year-old girl trying to get to stay out later on a date.
How long is it going to take Trump to realize IRAN is not negotiating, they are biding time and rebuilding their war machine. We need bombs, not memos. Unless you kill all the IRCG, we will just have this fight forever.