Prospects for revitalizing a memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States or extending the 60-day deadline are diminishing as its expiration approaches, amid stalled communications, the maintenance of the US blockade and Tehran's insistence on its conditions for ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's military commander-in-chief, General Amir Hatemi, intensified his rhetoric about the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, saying it represents a "geopolitical capacity granted by God to the Iranian people" and that this card "will never return to its previous situation". Hatemi added that among the "legacy" of US President Donald Trump is the activation of the Strait of Hormuz card, claiming that Iran knew its importance but that the war enabled its use.
Hatemi said that "any cost we pay on this path is worth it" and added that the military will protect this capacity "with all its force" by order of Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei. He emphasised the importance of maintaining the Strait card to end the war, saying it represents "one of the requirements for ending the war" in a way that leads to "lifting the shadow of war from Iran".
Hatemi asserted that "getting America out has been achieved" and assured that US forces no longer have permission to enter the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman or the Strait of Hormuz. He added that US bases "will in no way be able to return to their previous situation" and Iran "will never allow it".
A senior White House official told US media on Saturday that negotiations remain stalled before the deadline's expiration and that there are no signs of an imminent extension. The official linked any progress to Iran's willingness to return to negotiations and reach an agreement.
The memorandum, signed with Pakistani and Qatari mediation, established an extendable 60-day deadline to negotiate a broader agreement that would include a ceasefire, the nuclear programme, sanctions and navigation arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz. However, Tehran announced on 15 July that it no longer considers itself bound by its terms after Washington reimplemented the naval blockade and resumed attacks.
Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said at that time that US measures "undermined" the memorandum and Iran was no longer obligated by its provisions, including terms related to opening the Strait of Hormuz to ships during the negotiation period.
Hatemi issued a direct threat to US forces, announcing that the Iranian military will offer a reward equivalent to 30,000 dollars or 5 billion tomans for each person who kills a US military officer he described as an "aggressor" or captures and delivers him to the authorities. He said Iranian women who do so will receive double the reward. He added that the weapon of any person who manages to kill a US military officer will be purchased at double its price and they will also receive a new weapon.
Hatemi said Americans should know "that this is Iran", warning that if they commit an "error" they will become "a lesson for others throughout history". His remarks coincided with continued US military deployment in the region. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week that the naval blockade of Iran can continue "indefinitely" by rotating US ships entering and leaving the region.
Washington reaffirms that it does not accept arrangements that allow Tehran to impose tariffs or exclusive control over the Strait. Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said in a speech Saturday night into Sunday that Iran "has won in the real sense" of the war, militarily and politically.
Qalibaf clarified that he did not mean Iran destroyed the US military or Israel, but said that Washington and Israel attacked Iran with nine objectives that were "specific, clear, official, written and repeatedly declared" and that they failed to achieve any of them "at any level". He described this as the "greatest absolute defeat" for the United States and Israel and a "great victory" for Iran.
He noted in part of his remarks that Iranians have not yet felt the reach of the "victory" and that authorities and media have not succeeded in narrating it in a way that conveys a sense of pride to society. He said the "narrative" should convey "a feeling of victory, vitality and activity" to society and Iran has the right to "enjoy, understand and be proud of this victory".
In a separate speech to a group of cultural elites, Qalibaf spoke about details of the negotiations and said he halted them after the last attack on the southern Beirut suburb, and informed the other party that Iran would strike Israel that night. He added that he warned them that if Israel responded, "we would attack the entire region" and claimed that the result was that the blockade was lifted that same night, although the agreement specified it would be lifted in 30 days according to his account.
Qalibaf said that when Trump posted a tweet announcing that the blockade and the Strait of Hormuz would be opened together that night, he threatened to execute the attack if the "false statement" about the Strait and Iran was not corrected. He said Trump had to modify his post. "This kind of negotiation means struggle," he added.
The parliamentary speaker said he has been involved in the Lebanon file since 1985 and was a friend of all Hezbollah leaders who were assassinated, and remains in contact with fighters on the front lines there. He added that Iran included the "resistance front and Lebanon" in the first section of the memorandum of understanding.
Qalibaf claimed that the first US draft, composed of 15 sections, asked Iran to renounce missiles, its nuclear programme, the "resistance front" and the Strait of Hormuz, but that Trump ended up signing a Farsi-language text that recognises the "resistance front".
From parliament, deputy Manouchehr Mottaki, a member of the Economic Commission, said the "enemy has not abandoned its first objective of military aggression". He warned that Trump and his "warmongering" allies will continue, according to his assessment, limited war, ceasefire and blockade followed by negotiations until congressional elections, then enter a "fourth war" against Iran.
Ibrahim Azizi, chairman of parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission and leader of the Revolutionary Guards, directed a threat at Trump, saying the US president should worry about his own personal security rather than making "continuous threats" about the Strait of Hormuz. He wrote on X that Trump could end up "hiding in a food truck".
His comment responded to Trump's claim that he would declare the Strait of Hormuz "US territory". The Wall Street Journal later cited an unidentified White House official as saying the statement was a "joke".
Trump shared on Saturday a clip from researcher Behnam Taleblu of the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies, which warned of the possibility that Tehran might resort to additional attacks against US ships and bases and infrastructure in Persian Gulf states if Washington shifts the focus of its policy to economic pressure. Taleblu said Iran could seek to maintain control of the Strait of Hormuz as leverage. Trump did not attach any commentary to the clip.
On the diplomatic front, Pakistan and Qatar continue to relay messages between the two parties, but prospects for an agreement remain bleak.