BEIJING, April 13. /TASS/. At present, no basis exists for reaching an agreement between the US and Iran, the parties are using the ceasefire period to prepare for a possible resumption of hostilities, Han Jianwei, an expert at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told a TASS correspondent.

"I believe that it was expected that the US and Iran would not reach an agreement. For more than 40 years, the countries have not maintained any direct contacts, while the level of mutual hostility has remained very high. Moreover, neither side has achieved a decisive victory on the battlefield. Conditions proposed by both parties are difficult for the opposing side to accept, and therefore no foundation for reaching a consensus has been laid yet," the expert said.

According to Han Jianwei, the current ceasefire is not a real end of the war, but rather "a break in a match." "Both sides use this time window for accelerated preparation and deployment of forces to be ready for a possible resumption of the conflict in the future. Therefore, in the short term no signs of an imminent end to the war are being observed," the expert noted, adding that a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would likely lead to very serious consequences.

"In the future, the confrontation between the US and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz is likely to intensify, while the US actions to seize enriched uranium and carry out strikes on selected targets on Iranian territory will also probably continue," she believes. In addition, the expert suggests that Israel is also likely to resume attacks on Iran.

On April 11, Iran and the US held several rounds of talks in Islamabad. The Iranian delegation was led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, while Vice President JD Vance headed the US delegation. Later, both Tehran and Washington reported that the sides had failed to reach an agreement on a long-term settlement due to a range of disagreements. Details regarding a potential new round of talks remain unavailable.