Shipowners avoid Strait of Hormuz as unclear when it will reopen

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed, data showed on Wednesday, as most shipowners avoided the key waterway because

of a lack of clear signalling on its reopening from a blockade during the Iran war.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry said that an agreement over the Strait of Hormuz would help to resume talks between Iran and the United States.

In a briefing Tuesday, Qatar's Foreign Ministry said that an agreement over the Strait of Hormuz would help reignite US-Iran talks.

Majid al-Ansari, Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said "Trajectory of events we would like to see in Qatar is an agreement

on the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, which would coincide with the resumption of the ceasefire and the resumption of the talks.

Are these parallel lines, you know, converging or diverging? It's not very systematic on our end, but what I would say is that the agreement over the State of Hormuz would make it much easier for us to resume the talks between the United States and Iran."

Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf reiterated Tehran's stance Tuesday saying that until the US met Iran's conditions the country planned to maintain its grip on the shipping traffic.

He said "Until the United States fulfils its commitments under the agreement, including lifting the blockade, releasing frozen assets,

lifting oil sanctions, ending threats and military operations on all fronts, and implementing the other conditions to which it committed,

the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen."

In an interview on his Telegram channel, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran does not want a temporary

ceasefire but rather an end to the war that would prevent a repeat of the conflict. "We do not want a ceasefire, we want an end to the war,"

Araghchi said.

He added that Iran did not want the 12 day war, which he said was halted by a ceasefire before fighting resumed months later, to become a pattern that could be repeated.