Iranian Parliament Speaker: US Violates Ceasefire Agreement
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the United States on Wednesday (March 8) of violating a two-week ceasefire agreement. "The deep historical distrust we have toward the United States stems from its repeated violations of all commitments—a pattern that is unfortunately repeating itself," Ghalibaf said in a statement on social media.
Ghalibaf cited three points of Iran's 10-point ceasefire proposal as having been violated: Israel's continued attacks on Lebanon, drones entering Iranian airspace, and the Islamic Republic's denial of its right to enrich uranium. "In these circumstances, a bilateral ceasefire or negotiations make no sense," he said. Trump on Tuesday declared Iran's proposal a "viable" basis for negotiations.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC. In the market, US oil prices remained down more than 15%, nearing $95 per barrel as of 2:59 p.m. ET, even as the fragile ceasefire agreement is seen as at risk of unraveling.
Ghalibaf's statement came less than a day after Trump said he had agreed to halt attacks for two weeks in exchange for Iran allowing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz during that period. However, differences in interpretation between the US and Iran have become increasingly apparent since the agreement was announced, particularly regarding the mechanics of the strait.
Trump stated that the ceasefire hinged on the "full, immediate and safe" opening of the Strait of Hormuz. However, a Financial Times report said Iran planned to require ships to pay a fee to pass through the strategic waterway. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that Trump wanted the strait to be opened "without restrictions, including without fees."
Iran's state-run Fars news agency previously reported that tanker traffic through the strait had been halted as Israel continued its offensive against Lebanon. During the war, tanker traffic through Hormuz plummeted due to the Iranian attacks, triggering the largest disruption to crude oil supplies in history. Before the US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, about 20% of global oil supplies passed through the Strait of Hormuz. (mrv)
Source: Newsmaker.id
