Why is Pezeshkian urging an end to Iran’s ‘no war, no peace’ status?

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for an end to what he describes as a state of “neither war nor peace” with the United States as negotiators seek an agreement to end the war.

Pezeshkian said on Saturday that Iran was in a position of strength and he believed it was the right time to reach an agreement with the US.

The president’s remarks came as Iran and Oman pursue an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway through which about one-fifth of global oil shipments transited in peacetime.

Tehran has de facto imposed a blockade of the strait since the US and Israel began a war on Iran on February 28, which has killed more than 3,400 people.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday said discussions with Oman over transit and management of the strait were “approaching the final stages” but added that the reopening of Hormuz “is subject to other conditions and compensation for the violation” of the June memorandum of understanding (MoU) that Iran signed with the US.

He denied that Iran was negotiating with the US, saying they were merely “exchanging messages” via intermediaries.

So is Pezeshkian trying to push Iran towards a deal, and what does his statement mean?

The Iranian president said he believed now was the best time for an agreement. “There is cohesion, strength and unity in the country, and as far as I know, Iran is considered victorious and powerful in this war,” he told Iranian media.