As for the status of talks, the below headlines present the latest (andnoticeably absent is the enriched uranium question, or release of Iranian funds). Bloomberg summarizes: "An unofficial draft of a US-Iran interim peace dealsays maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz can return to normal within a month of the agreement being finalized, according to Iranian state television.It’s unclear how recent the draft, reported by IRIB News, is or whether the US has agreed to the terms."

Tehran is keeping the war rhetoric cranked to a maximum, but is alsoconcedingthat a return to full-scale war with the United States and Israel is 'unlikely' at this stage. The Islamic Republic says at this moment only 'indirect' contact with Washington is happening, as cited in Bloomberg.

The IRGC is seeking to dismantle any assumption that Iran is entering peace talks from a position of tactical submission. Speaking to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, Mohammad Akbarzadeh - the political deputy of the IRGC Navy - warned that any resumption of US kinetic activity would result in catastrophic casualties for Western forces.

Akbarzadeh touted that the armed forces remain at a level of total readiness, threatening that Iran would "turn the area from Chabahar to Mahshahrinto a graveyard for aggressors" if the ceasefire collapses. "Our fighters today carry in their chests the urge for hand-to-hand battle with the enemy," Akbarzadeh declared, writing off the prospect of a renewed Western assault due to what he assessed as the "weakness" of the American-led coalition.

The Pentagon has acknowledged that Iran is 'hedging its bets' amid Hormuztensions:

Former CENTCOM Commander Gen. Joseph Votel said Iran’s reported effort to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz suggests Tehran is “hedging its bets” and attempting to ramp up pressure on the U.S. amid ongoing negotiations.

“Clearly the Iranians are trying to hedge their bets here and put more pressure on the U.S., and what we saw here was CENTCOM detecting that and then taking military action to address it very, very quickly,” Votel said during a Tuesday appearance on Fox News' “America Reports.”

“If the U.S. cannot give the money that belongs to Iran back to Iran, and the U.S. cannot put a leash on Netanyahu and stop him from going on a rampage in Lebanon, then it shows that this conflict has not ended,” Izadi says.“This is a test for Iran to see what’s going on with the other side.”

🎥 NEW: Jeremy Scahill reported this morning that Iranian officials say the U.S. has accepted Iran’s red lines in the latest revisions to the ceasefire declaration, but is asking for time to “manage domestic public opinion” before formally announcing acceptance of the interim…pic.twitter.com/Pmovw5sEKk

And all the while Iranian leaders have continued to make clear they will not bow to the central Trump administration demand of transferring Iran's highly enriched uranium out of the country - though there were prior unconfirmed reports that China could be an acceptable destination for some Iranian officials.

Source: ZeroHedge News