Investing.com — Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, told reporters on Saturday that there was no set date for the next round of negotiations between his country and the United States. He cautioned that the two sides must first agree on a framework of understanding before talks resume.

Speaking on the sidelines of a diplomacy forum in Antalya, Turkey, Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters, “We are now focusing on finalising ⁠the framework of understanding between the two sides. We don’t want to enter into any ​negotiation or meeting which is doomed to fail and which can be a pretext ​for another round of escalation.” 

“Until we agree the framework, we cannot set the date… There ​was significant progress made, actually. But then the maximalist approach by the other side, ​trying to make Iran an exception from international law, prevented us to reach an agreement,” he said, alluding to U.S. demands that Iran abandons its nuclear programme.

“I have to be very crystal clear that Iran would not accept to be an exception from the international law. Anything that we are going to be committed will be within the international regulations and international law.”

Ceasefire remains in force over the weekend

As the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is tested over the weekend, new reports from the Wall Street Journal suggest the U.S. military is prepared to board and seize Iran-linked oil tankers in international waters, citing U.S. officials.

The development comes after Iran attacked several commercial vessels on Saturday and declared the Strait of Hormuz is under its control. This followed news on Friday from Iran’s foreign minister that the critical waterway was open, which triggered a massive rally on Wall Street and a steep sell-off in oil.

Factions in Iran stated that the U.S. broke the agreement as it continued its own blockade with U.S. warships, stepping up economic pressure on the battered regime.

Trump dismisses Iran’s Hormuz move, says talks still “very good”

Earlier Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump pushed back at Iran after its military said it was again closing the Strait of Hormuz.

“They wanted to close up the strait again…as they’ve been doing for years,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Saturday. “They can’t blackmail us.”

He also struck a more upbeat tone on diplomacy, saying there were “very good conversations” underway with Tehran. “It’s working out very well. They got a little cute, as they have been doing for 47 years,” he said.

Trump added that he would know by the end of the day if the parties would succeed in advancing to an agreement.

Iran says the Strait of Hormuz is closed

Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, accusing the United States of continuing to blockade Iranian ports. Iran’s latest move comes after the country hinted at the full reopening of the Strait on Friday.

The country’s joint military command stated that “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state … under strict management and control of the armed forces.” 

Reuters reported that merchant vessels received radio messages from Iran’s navy saying the Strait of Hormuz had been closed again and that no ships were allowed to pass.

Two gunboats from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard opened fire on a tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz after Tehran reimposed restrictions on the key shipping route, according to the British military.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said the vessel and its crew were safe following the incident, without identifying the tanker or its destination.

Similarly, the Wall Street Journal said around 20 vessels waiting to transit the Strait of Hormuz turned back toward Oman after Iran’s military said the passage had been closed again following the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. The report cited shipowners and brokers.

Talks continue, Pakistan says

Ishaq Dar said Pakistani diplomats are working to “bridge” differences between the United States and Iran, pointing to Lebanon as one of the key sticking points while welcoming a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Speaking at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in southern Turkey on Friday, Dar said Washington and Tehran had been “very close” to reaching a deal during talks in Islamabad last weekend.

“We would all like these talks to end all at once, in a very short time. But we need to be realistic. These comprehensive negotiations will take some time,” Cevdet Yilmaz, vice president of Turkey, told Associated Press.

The lack of clarity comes after Friday’s developments, where Iran and the U.S. appeared to have agreed to reopen the Strait. Iran currently says that the Strait will remain closed if the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remains in place. However, Washington says that the blockade will remain in place until a deal is reached.

(Louis Juricic, Senad Karaahmetovic, Simon Mugo, and Frank DeMatteo contributed to this report.)