Iran says it will not attend planned US talks in Pakistan, citing the ongoing US naval blockade and Washington’s “unreasonable demands” as major obstacles
WASHINGTON: Iran is not currently planning to attend talks with the United States on Monday, state media said. This comes after President Donald Trump ordered US negotiators to Pakistan just days before a Middle East ceasefire expires.
The ongoing US blockade of Iranian ports has been a significant sticking point. Trump’s announcement that a US destroyer fired on an Iranian ship further complicated the issue.
State broadcaster IRIB cited Iranian sources as saying “there are currently no plans to participate in the next round of Iran-US talks”. Other news agencies reported that lifting the US blockade was a precondition for negotiations.
State-run IRNA pointed to the blockade and Washington’s “unreasonable and unrealistic demands”. It stated that “in these circumstances, there is no clear prospect of fruitful negotiations”.
Iran and the United States are three days away from the end of a two-week ceasefire that halted the Middle East war. Only one inconclusive negotiating session has been held in Islamabad so far.
“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it,” Trump said in a post on Sunday. He also renewed his threats against Iran’s infrastructure if a deal is not made.
Trump announced that a US destroyer warned an Iranian-flagged cargo ship to stop. The ship was forced to halt “by blowing a hole in the engineroom”, with US Marines now having custody of the vessel.
Iran had briefly reopened the Strait of Hormuz on Friday but closed it again the following day. This was in response to the United States maintaining its blockade of Iranian ports.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that any attempt to pass through the strait without permission would result in the vessel being targeted. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the blockade was “a violation” of the ceasefire.
Security was visibly stepped up in Islamabad on Sunday in anticipation of the negotiations. Authorities announced road closures and traffic restrictions across the city and in neighbouring Rawalpindi.
A White House official said the US delegation would be led by Vice President JD Vance. It would include Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
A major issue in the negotiations has been Iran’s stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium. Trump said on Friday that Iran had agreed to hand over its roughly 440 kilogrammes of enriched uranium.
Iran’s foreign ministry has said the stockpile was “not going to be transferred anywhere”. President Masoud Pezeshkian questioned why Iran should give up its “legal right” to a nuclear programme.
