Washington and Tehran.. Has the "Negotiation from Strength" Phase Begun?

SadaNews - Between military deterrence and diplomatic avenues, Washington is establishing new rules for engagement with Tehran, centered on negotiating from a position of strength.

Here arises the question, will this equation succeed in containing escalation and continuing the diplomatic path, or could it lead to a series of reciprocal violations?

After a commercial ship was targeted in the Strait of Hormuz, Washington did not grant Tehran a grace period to protest or justify; instead, it immediately responded with airstrikes targeting sites for missiles, drones, and coastal radars.

Then US Vice President J.D. Vance closed the door on interpretation with a decisive statement, saying that violence will be met with violence.

If Iran has any disputes regarding the implementation of the memorandum of understanding, it should call Washington rather than launching drones at ships.

These developments have placed the diplomatic path between Washington and Tehran under its most difficult test since both parties signed the memorandum of understanding.

President Donald Trump considered the attack to be a foolish breach of the ceasefire, stating that any threat to navigation in the Strait of Hormuz will not go unanswered.

According to the American side, the strike was not a declaration of a new war but an announcement of rules that the Trump administration has long been known for. These rules indicate that the door to negotiation will remain open, but any attempt to negotiate through fire will be met with fire.

Iran stated on Saturday that the strikes carried out by the United States on Friday against its territory constitute a "flagrant violation" of the memorandum of understanding between the two countries aimed at ending the war in the Middle East.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Iran "strongly condemns the airstrikes carried out by the US military on the evening of Friday, June 26, on several sites along the southern coast of Iran".

The ministry added that these strikes "constitute a flagrant violation of the fourth paragraph of Article Two of the UN Charter, and a blatant violation of the first paragraph of the memorandum of understanding" that was reached with the United States in mid-June.

Iran attacked American sites in response to US strikes targeting the country, according to Iranian state media on Saturday, following accusations from Washington that Tehran attacked one of its commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

This exchange of fire was the first of its kind known since the signing of the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran on June 17.

This has raised questions about the efforts made to keep the vital waterway open amid negotiations between Washington and Tehran to reach a final settlement for the war that began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran.