No specific dates set for new round of talks: Iran

No specific dates have been set as yet for a new round of U.S.-Iran talks, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Wednesday.

A Pakistani delegation may visit Iran to further discuss the negotiation process with the United States, according to Baghaei.

"The talks are continuing through Pakistani mediation, and it remains to be seen how serious the other side really is about the claims it has made about diplomacy. It is the United States that must prove its sincerity, prove itself," said the spokesman.

He said Iran considers it possible to discuss parameters of uranium enrichment with the United States, but insists on its right to use nuclear energy.

Iran has never had any nuclear program for non-peaceful purposes. The U.S. is using fabrications to intimidate the international community, and that all U.S. statements are merely excuses to exert pressure on Iran, said Baghaei.

Regarding the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. blockade of ships entering and leaving Iranian ports, Baghaei said that for the past several decades, Iran has been committed to the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, but the war initiated by the U.S. and Israel against Iran has changed the regional security situation. As long as the U.S. and Israel end their wars in the Middle East, Iran and the Persian Gulf coastal states are capable of ensuring the security of these waters. The spokesman added that the U.S. "blockade" policy against Iran will not succeed.

The 40-day U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, starting Feb. 28, killed Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and more than 3,000 civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East.

A two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States took effect on April 8. Lengthy talks between Iranian and U.S. delegations were later held in Pakistan's Islamabad, but failed to produce an agreement.

No specific dates set for new round of talks: Iran

No specific dates set for new round of talks: Iran

Iran has prepared a new law that will further tighten control over the Strait of Hormuz, including bans on Israeli-linked vessels, the Fars news agency reported on Sunday.

Mohammad Rezaei-Kouchi, chairman of the Iranian Parliament's Civil Engineering Committee, announced on Sunday that the draft law is nearing finalization.

According to details of the draft law, ships and cargoes connected to Israel would be completely prohibited from passing through the strait. Vessels from countries Iran considers hostile would require approval from the country's Supreme National Security Council.

Countries that have previously caused damage to Iran would be barred until they pay compensation.

The proposed rules would also require all vessels to pay transit fees exclusively in Iranian rials. Of the revenue collected, 30 percent would be allocated to strengthening Iran's armed forces, while 70 percent would be used to improve people's livelihood.

The moves come amid tensions between the United States and Iran escalated over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy reimposed a blockade on the strait on Saturday, citing the U.S. failure to lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports in violation of a ceasefire commitment.

Bloomberg reported, based on shipping tracking data, at least 13 oil tankers turned back that day, and no vessels were observed transiting the strait on Sunday.

Iran has tightened control over the Strait of Horumuz since Feb 28, when it barred passage to vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States after the two countries' joint strikes on Iranian territory.

The United States later imposed its own blockade on the waterway after peace negotiations with Iran in Pakistan's Islamabad collapsed.

Iran nears approval of new law to tighten control over Strait of Hormuz: official