A ship anchors in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Bandar Abbas, Iran, on August 10, 2026.
Ali Saidi | Getty Images
The impasse between the United States and Iran shows no signs of easing, with the two countries remaining at odds over the terms of an end to the five-month war and conflicting messages in the Strait of Hormuz overnight.
Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing a senior Iranian government official, that there has been no progress in efforts to revitalize an interim peace agreement reached in June.
“One of the issues being discussed through the mediator is setting a deadline for the US to return to the interim agreement and fulfill its commitments. There has been no progress whatsoever on this issue,” the person told Reuters.
“There is no talk of an extension because the US violated the interim agreement 48 hours after reaching it and withdrew from it a few days later,” they said.
The interview came after Turkey’s Andor news agency reported that the United States and Iran had agreed to extend the ceasefire for 60 days, citing Pakistani officials.
Both countries have accused each other of violating the terms of the memorandum since it was agreed, and US President Donald Trump declared the deal “done” at last month’s NATO summit.
Fighting has continued in the Middle East in recent weeks, with U.S. forces launching a barrage of attacks on Iranian targets in retaliation for attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and deadly attacks on ships reported this week in the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials dispute President Trump’s repeated claims that the United States has “full control” of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X on Wednesday that the United States has “continued to miscalculate for a long time due to intelligence failures.”
“A good example is the war against Iran. And the Strait of Hormuz is an even bigger miscalculation.”
His comments came after President Trump previously said in a post on Truth Social, “The United States has full control of the Strait of Hormuz. I think we will keep it!” The president’s comments reiterated his assertion earlier this week that the U.S. military has “100% control” of the waterway, a critical route for international shipping.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Persian Gulf Straits Authority said in a post on X: “U.S. officials’ claims and repeated posts that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer closed do not change the reality. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed and will not reopen until Iran’s terms are accepted.”
Although both sides continue to make contradictory claims, ship traffic through the Hormuz Channel is near a three-month low, according to data from trade intelligence firm Kpler.
The five-day average of vessel crossings on Tuesday was about 13, nearly the lowest level since May 12, according to a CNBC analysis of data provided by trade information firm Kpler. This includes all types of vessels, from cargo ships to oil tankers.
The traffic is about 90% lower than the daily average of 130 ships that passed through Hormuz before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.
Both the US and Iranian governments have hardened their negotiating stance, demanding “reparations” from the other side, among other demands.
Last weekend, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council issued sweeping demands for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, including lifting the U.S. naval blockade, easing sanctions, withdrawing U.S. troops, and receiving war reparations.
“Confusion and bewilderment”
The development came as Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a top adviser to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander, told PBS in an interview on Tuesday that “victory is on our side” and that “we have also seen how weaker the US military is than we realized.”
He pointed to what he said was a shift in Washington’s goals over the course of the conflict, including the invasion of Kharg Island and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.
“We saw chaos and embarrassment within the United States. It became a war without a strategy. Every two or three days they announced a new goal… They mobilized battleships. You can look at everything they tried and show you how we won.”
Asked whether the plan was to prolong the conflict until President Trump leaves office, Naqdi said the goal was for Iran to “obtain deterrence.”
Prolonging the conflict and causing attrition is one way to do that, he said, and there will be a price if anyone tries to attack Iran.
—CNBC’s Spencer Kimball and Deena Zaidi contributed to this report.
