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Iran regional diplomacy

Iran's foreign minister says the country’s commitment to peace and stability is matched by steadfast pursuit of diplomacy with the neighboring countries. Abbas Araghchi made the remarks in a social media post following talks with his Omani counterpart, Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, on Tuesday, and Pakistan’s Army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, a day earlier. The top diplomat said during the meetings, the three countries stressed the need to find regional solutions to the existing problems. He cited a proposed phased framework, which was discussed with Oman for the opening of a new transit corridor in the Strait of Hormuz, joint mine clearing, and future management of the vital waterway. His remarks came after Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Iranian and Omani foreign ministers had constructive talks on the Strait of Hormuz. It noted that technical negotiations between the two sides will continue with the goal of reaching an agreement on a permanent maritime corridor and on future management of the strait. Pakistan also reported significant progress in the efforts made to restore the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and de-escalate tensions in the region following the US-Israeli aggression against Iran.

Iran control of Hormuz 

Iran's deputy foreign minister says the United States must fulfill all the commitments it has violated under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding before the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened. In a televised interview, Kazem Gharibabadi said the reopening of the Hormuz Strait will only take place when the war ends on all fronts, the US blockade on Iran is lifted, and a solution is found for the current situation in Yemen. He stressed that the US claim about clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz is a "propaganda hoax." Gharibabadi said if the US has really cleared mines, why no American vessel is still able to pass through the Strait? He emphasized that such allegations are nothing more than a propaganda lie. Iran's deputy foreign minister said if American minesweepers enter the region, they will be very good targets for Iranian forces. Gharibabadi noted that according to the Islamabad memorandum, no military vessels will be allowed to cross the Hormuz Strait, and only commercial vessels will be allowed to pass through. He added that Iran's response to the United States’ new sanctions is to target the enemy's economic interests in the region.

US embargo on Cuba 

Cuba has condemned in the strongest terms the United States’ move to extend its decades-long trade embargo on the island nation for another year. In a social media post, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez described US economic, commercial and financial blockade on his country as a genocidal policy that has been maintained against the Cuban people for more than six decades. He stressed that the extension of US embargo is not a minor administrative action, but the confirmation that Washington insists on suffocating an entire nation. Rodriguez said the extension comes at the cruelest moment of the US onslaught against Cuba in recent years. Stressing that Cuba is not a threat but the blockade is, Rodriguez added that US sanctions only hurt Cuban families. The embargo on Cuba was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 under the so-called “Trading with the Enemy Act.” The new extension came at a time that Cubans are facing regular rolling blackouts and chronic food and fuel shortages due to US sanctions on the island.

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