Protests Erupt in Iran Over Fears of Losing Strait of Hormuz Leverage in US Peace Talks

Central News Agency, Paris, June 13 — Dozens of protesters gathered today outside the Iranian foreign ministry office in the northeastern city of Mashhad, chanting slogans against Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, after he discussed the possibility of signing a peace agreement with the United States in a televised interview.

According to AFP, a video shared by Fars News Agency shows women in black chadors waving red and black flags in front of the building, shouting 'Death to the shameful infiltrator Araghchi.'

The protest comes as a peace agreement pushed by U.S. President Trump and mediator Pakistan faces opposition from Iran's hardliners. They argue the deal does not serve Iran's national interests and would strip Tehran of its strategic leverage over the Strait of Hormuz. They also accuse Iranian negotiators of making excessive concessions to secure the agreement.

Araghchi said in a state television interview yesterday that the current agreement on the table calls for the U.S. to lift its maritime blockade on Iranian ports. The blockade was initially imposed in response to Iran's prior closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

He added, 'Future management of the Strait of Hormuz will be different from before,' calling the waterway one of Iran's 'primary deterrent tools.'

Other videos, not independently verified by AFP and circulating on social media, show protesters gathering in front of the foreign ministry in Tehran, shouting in unison for Araghchi and Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to step down.

Trump and Pakistan today stated that the war-ending agreement could be signed as early as tomorrow, though Tehran has expressed more caution regarding the timeline. (Translated by Chen Yuting) 1150614