Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh on Thursday said that the contested Strait of Hormuz was still "open", as Israel's attacks on Lebanon threaten to end the two-week ceasefire in the war.
However, he noted that owing to the sensitive nature of the Gulf region, as the fragile ceasefire hangs in the balance, the vessels wanting to transit the strait needed to obtain permission from Iran's naval forces.
He also pointed out that there were “technical restraints” in the region—not only due to US-Israel attacks on Tehran before the ceasefire, but also because of the narrowness of the waterway, as per a report from semi-official Iranian news agency, WANA.
This comes as Israel's attacks on Lebanon threaten the stability of the ceasefire, as Iran has claimed that Beirut was also a part of the ceasefire deal between Iran and US-Israel forces.
In fact, he also stated that Iran had been on the verge of retaliating to Israel's attacks on Lebanon on Wednesday—one of the worst days of the 40-day war in the Gulf in terms of casualties.
Khatibzadeh claimed that Iran's potential response on that "highly critical" day were was put off after the intervention of Pakistan and the "exchange of messages regarding US efforts".
This comes just two days before the highly anticipated ceasefire talks between Iran and US in Pakistan's Islamabad on Saturday.
While US Vice-President J.D. Vance will lead the US side for the Saturday talks, Iranian lawmaker and former IRGC commander M.B. Ghalibaf is touted as the most possible choice to lead the Tehran side.
The Serena Hotel in Islamabad in the capital's Red Zone is all set to host both delegations.
This region, which houses key government buildings and embassies, has been requisitioned from Wednesday evening through Sunday.
Islamabad PM Shehbaz Sharif is expected to host the talks and hold separate preliminary meetings with both sides, based on when they arrive, with the both teams expected to sit in separate rooms on Saturday, and Pakistani officials relaying messages between them.
