Continued U.S.-Iran Negotiations; Possibly This Thursday

Several domestic media outlets have reported that a second round of negotiations between the United States and Iran is being planned. The Jamaran News Agency, quoting a “U.S. official,” said the next round of talks between Washington and Tehran could take place this Thursday.

The report added that “the location for the next round of negotiations between Washington and Tehran has not yet been definitively determined.”

These talks are continuing even as the U.S. military has begun enforcing a naval blockade on Iran’s southern ports. Just hours after the blockade started, Reuters reported that a Chinese-owned tanker carrying oil and chemicals passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.

According to shipping data cited by the agency, the tanker “Rich Starry” moved through the Strait on Tuesday, becoming the first vessel to pass through the key waterway since the U.S. blockade began.

The tanker, which is also listed under U.S. sanctions, had left the port of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates on Monday and was heading towards China.

Earlier, CENTCOM (U.S. Central Command) had announced on Sunday that the blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz would come into effect on Monday at 5:30 PM Iran time.