Iran will not begin negotiations on a definitive agreement with the United States if Washington continues to issue military threats, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on Tuesday, directly invoking the text of the bilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in June. The warning came hours after President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the US would “finish the job” if no deal is reached, specifying that American forces could destroy Iranian bridges and energy infrastructure “in the small part of an afternoon.” Araghchi’s message, posted on social media alongside images of the funeral procession for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, declared that “neither the Iranian people nor our Brave Armed Forces are moved by any threats” and demanded Washington “honor your signature.”

Tehran’s position rests on paragraph 13 of the MoU, which stipulates that talks on a final accord will commence only after the implementation of other clauses—including a permanent ceasefire on all fronts, the lifting of the Strait of Hormuz blockade, the waiver of oil sanctions, and the unfreezing of restricted Iranian assets. Viewed from Tehran, the sequence is non-negotiable: the initial confidence-building measures must be fully executed before the nuclear file and other core disputes are addressed. The US administration, for its part, has signalled through Trump’s remarks that it is prepared to use force if diplomacy fails, while also stating a preference for a negotiated outcome. The 60-day interim ceasefire, brokered in April after the surprise US-Israeli offensive of 28 February, was designed to create space for indirect talks, but the process has been suspended during the multi-day state funeral for Khamenei, who was killed in the opening strikes.

Maritime security sources reported that a projectile of unknown origin struck a tanker eight nautical miles east of Limah, Oman, on Monday night, causing a fire on board but no casualties or environmental damage. A second vessel, a Qatari LNG carrier, was also reportedly hit in the same waterway. The incidents, which pushed oil prices up by roughly one per cent, occurred in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has asserted that all transiting ships must obtain its permission and use designated routes. While no party claimed responsibility, the Axios news site, citing unnamed officials, reported that Iran had fired on the two ships. Neither Washington nor Tehran has directly commented on the attribution.

The diplomatic track remains fragile. Two rounds of high-level indirect negotiations have taken place since the MoU was signed, but no public progress toward a lasting peace has been recorded. A further technical-level meeting, with Pakistani mediation, is tentatively scheduled for 14–15 July in Islamabad, according to unconfirmed reports in the Pakistani press. The Iranian interior minister is expected to visit Pakistan after 9 July, once the funeral ceremonies conclude. For now, the process is caught between Tehran’s insistence on sequenced implementation and Washington’s public threats, with the security of the Hormuz shipping lane adding an immediate operational dimension to the standoff.