By Suleman Chitera

TEHRAN — Iran has delivered a stark warning to the United States: return to the terms of the Islamabad-brokered 14-point memorandum of understanding, remove the naval blockade and honour the agreement — or prepare for a new and potentially wider phase of the war.

According to Reuters, a senior Iranian official said Tehran has given Washington only “a few weeks” to fulfil the commitments under the interim peace arrangement. The message is being conveyed through mediators including Pakistan and Qatar as diplomatic efforts struggle to revive the agreement.

The warning represents a significant escalation in Tehran’s posture.

Iran is no longer presenting the dispute simply as a diplomatic disagreement over implementation. The senior official told Reuters that Tehran has moved from a defensive strategy towards a “fully offensive” approach, signalling that military options are being prepared if Washington fails to comply.

Tehran threatens to challenge the blockade

At the centre of the confrontation is the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.

Iran has warned that it could take military action to break what it describes as a US naval blockade if Washington does not meet the conditions of the agreement within the deadline.

The stakes are enormous. Any serious confrontation around Hormuz could disrupt one of the world’s most important energy corridors, sending shockwaves through oil markets, shipping and global trade.

The June agreement had been designed to stop the fighting and restore maritime traffic. Pakistan’s National Assembly has described the Islamabad MoU as a major diplomatic achievement that helped bring an end to hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz for international trade.

But the agreement has since come under severe strain.

Iran says diplomacy is running out of road

Tehran’s latest position is that further negotiations cannot substitute for implementation of commitments already made.

Iranian officials have previously said Washington must first address what Tehran considers violations of the MoU before meaningful negotiations can resume. Messages between the two sides are still being passed through intermediaries, including Pakistan and Qatar, but direct diplomacy remains stalled.

The latest warning therefore appears designed to put pressure on Washington while simultaneously preparing the region for the possibility that diplomacy could fail.

Iran’s message is blunt: the agreement must be implemented first, or escalation becomes the alternative.

A wider war could be taking shape

The danger extends well beyond American and Iranian forces.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that Iranian military planners have been preparing for a broader confrontation involving Gulf infrastructure and Iran-aligned forces in the region. The report says intelligence officials have pointed to preparations involving missile and drone capabilities, attacks through allied groups and possible disruption of critical infrastructure.

Among the reported scenarios are possible attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure and sabotage of undersea communications cables. The report also mentions concerns about unrest among Shiite communities and potential Iranian military operations involving Kuwait.

These remain reported contingency plans, not confirmed future actions, but their disclosure adds another layer of uncertainty to an already volatile crisis.

The next few weeks could be decisive

Iran’s deadline now puts the United States under growing pressure.

Washington faces a difficult choice: attempt to revive the Islamabad framework and prevent another confrontation, or maintain its current pressure campaign and risk triggering the escalation Tehran has threatened.

For Iran, backing down without securing implementation of the agreement could be seen domestically as a strategic defeat. For the United States, accepting Tehran’s demands could carry its own political and strategic costs.

That leaves the region facing a dangerous countdown.

The coming weeks may determine whether the Islamabad agreement becomes the foundation for a lasting settlement — or merely the pause that preceded another, potentially more destructive, phase of the Iran-US conflict.

For now, Tehran’s message to Washington is unmistakable: implement the deal, lift the blockade and reopen the path to diplomacy — or prepare for Iran to fight its way out.