With the largely indirect negotiations between the U.S. and Iran entering a pause of at least a week for the funeral of Iran’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, some key questions about the talks remain unanswered.
Under the terms of the memorandum of understanding signed two weeks ago, both sides committed «to negotiating and achieving the final deal» to formally end the war in a «maximum 60 days, extendable with mutual consent.»
But when exactly did the countdown begin, and how many days of actual talks can be counted?
«The Iranians seem to think the 60-day negotiating period started in mid-June with the signing of the memorandum of understanding,» Eric Lob, a nonresident scholar in the Carnegie Middle East Program, told CBS News. «During indirect negotiations in Doha this week, the Iranians supposedly stated that they would impose tolls on oil tankers, container ships, and other commercial vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz in mid-August, after the 60-day window ended.»
The MoU was intended to completely reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping and end the fighting in Iran – and in Lebanon – while negotiators got down to the more contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear program, during the 60 days of talks.
So far, U.S. and Iranian negotiators have engaged only twice since the agreement was signed on June 18 – once for direct talks in Switzerland on June 21, and this week, via mediators, for a day in Qatar.
Neither the U.S. nor Iran have said whether only those two days count against the 60 provisioned by the MoU, or if they are counting all 14 days since it was signed.
It’s also unclear if the two sides are even counting the same way, but Lob said that given the terms of the MoU, which prohibit Iran from collecting any fees from ships in the strait during the negotiations, for instance, Tehran may be crossing days off on the calendar, regardless of what talks are actually taking place.
«Unlike with the nuclear issue, a condensed timeline serves Iran’s interests by formalizing its control over the strait and reaping the financial benefits from it sooner,» said Lob, «especially with all the economic challenges Tehran confronts.»
