Iran on Sunday denied it might take part in new peace talks with the United States, its state information company reported on Sunday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump stated its negotiators would head to Pakistan on Monday for a second spherical of peace talks with Iran.
Iran’s official IRNA information company cited no particular supply in its report that Iran had rejected the talks.
“Iran said that its absence from the second spherical of talks stems from what it referred to as Washington’s extreme calls for, unrealistic expectations, fixed shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the continuing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire,” IRNA wrote.
Iran’s choice to stroll away from negotiations — particularly citing its demand to finish the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports — got here as Trump stated in a Fact Social put up that the U.S. had intercepted a ship referred to as the TOUSKA within the Gulf of Oman, warning it to cease. When it didn’t, the U.S. Navy fired upon it and the vessel was seized. The U.S. has been working a naval blockade of ships getting into and exiting Iranian ports since final week.
“Below these circumstances, the outlook for constructive talks stays bleak,” state information company IRNA reported in a put up on X.
Earlier Sunday, Trump said in a social media put up that his representatives have been heading for Pakistan to renew peace talks with Iranian negotiators on Monday, after an preliminary spherical of face-to-face talks final weekend concluded with out an settlement to finish hostilities.
If the talks have been to happen, the U.S. delegation to Pakistan would as soon as once more be headed by Vice President JD Vance, two senior U.S. officers instructed MS Now. Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, additionally could be touring to Islamabad for the talks, in response to the White Home.
The obvious diplomatic setback got here with delivery nonetheless blocked within the Strait of Hormuz and will set the stage for a renewed surge in oil costs when markets reopen after the weekend inside just a few hours.
Iran has blocked the strait to ships aside from its personal since the U.S. and Israel attacked on Feb. 28. It introduced on Friday that it might reopen the waterway. Nevertheless it reversed that call on Saturday after Trump declined to raise a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.
“Iran determined to fireplace bullets yesterday within the Strait of Hormuz — A Whole Violation of our Ceasefire Settlement!” Trump wrote in Sunday’s put up. “That wasn’t good, was it?”
Iran ratchets up rhetoric
Iran’s parliament speaker and high negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, stated talks to finish the conflict with the U.S. and Israel are persevering with however that his nation stands able to resume the battle and warned the U.S. in opposition to utilizing a naval blockade within the strait.
“It isn’t the case that we predict simply because we’re negotiating, the armed forces aren’t prepared,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated in televised remarks late Saturday in response to a report on Iranian state media. “Somewhat, simply because the individuals are within the streets, our armed forces are additionally prepared.”
Ghalibaf additionally reiterated Iran’s intentions to limit site visitors by the strait, a key power chokepoint.
“It’s unimaginable for others to move by the Strait of Hormuz however not us. If the U.S. doesn’t abandon the blockade, site visitors within the Strait of Hormuz will definitely be restricted,” he stated.
Trump introduced the blockade on April 12, after complaining that Tehran has not appeared to reopen the strait, one in every of his circumstances for agreeing to the delicate two-week ceasefire that’s presently in impact.
Gunboat diplomacy
Two gunboats from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard opened fireplace on a tanker transiting the strait, the British navy’s United Kingdom Maritime Commerce Operations heart stated Saturday. It reported the tanker and crew as protected, with out figuring out the vessel or its vacation spot.
Transport sources instructed Reuters at the least two different vessels reported coming beneath fireplace whereas making an attempt to transit the waterway.
The confusion over the strait’s standing has left ship operators in a state of limbo.
Video footage from ship-tracking agency Kpler confirmed that a number of tankers and cargo ships tried to exit the waterway on Friday however turned again.
Oil costs plunged greater than 10% on Friday to beneath $90 per barrel on hopes that power provides would begin flowing once more from the area. A couple of fifth of the world’s crude provides handed by the strait earlier than the conflict. The closure of the ocean lane connecting the Persian Gulf to world power markets has triggered the most important oil provide disruption in historical past.
In Mumbai, India summoned Iran’s ambassador after an Indian-flagged vessel carrying crude oil was attacked whereas making an attempt to cross the strait, Reuters reported.
In a White Home occasion on Saturday, Trump declined to take reporters’ questions on Iran however stated, “We have now superb conversations happening.”
He stated Iran “obtained a bit cute,” later including, “They needed to shut up the strait once more,” referring to the Strait of Hormuz.
“They cannot blackmail us,” Trump stated.
Iran rebuilds stockpile of missiles and drones
A senior Iranian navy official stated Iran has begun rebuilding its stockpile of weapons and munitions because the two-week ceasefire nears to run out, state media reported.
Brig. Gen. Seyed Majid Mousavi, commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s Aerospace Power, stated they’ve repaired missiles and drone launchers throughout the ceasefire which began on April 8, in response to Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.
“Our velocity in updating and refilling missile and drone launch platforms is even higher than earlier than the conflict,” he stated.
The broadcaster aired a two-minute video paired with uplifting music, exhibiting missiles and drones in warehouses in addition to cell launches of missiles.
America and Israel say they’ve degraded Iran’s navy capabilities over the course of the almost six-week conflict.
Nuclear rights
In the meantime, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was quoted as saying the U.S. cannot deprive Iran of its rights to a nuclear program.
“Trump says Iran can’t make use of its nuclear rights however does not say for what crime. Who’s he to deprive a nation of its rights?” Reuters quoted Pezeshkian as saying through the Iranian Scholar Information Company.
In an interview with the Related Press on Saturday on the margins of a diplomacy discussion board in Turkey, Iranian Deputy Overseas Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh stated his nation is not going to hand over its enriched uranium to america, rejecting claims made by Trump.
“I can let you know that no enriched materials goes to be shipped to United States,” Khatibzadeh stated. “That is non-starter and I can guarantee you that whereas we’re prepared to deal with any considerations that we do have, we’re not going to simply accept issues which are nonstarters.”
Trump on Friday stated that Iran had agreed handy over its stockpile of enriched uranium.
He additionally stated the U.S. will go into Iran and “get all of the nuclear mud,” referring to the 970 kilos (440 kilograms) of enriched uranium believed to be buried beneath nuclear websites badly broken by U.S. navy strikes final 12 months.
Peace talks within the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, between a U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance and Iranian negotiators headed by Ghalibaf failed to achieve an settlement final weekend.
Iran’s Supreme Nationwide Safety Council stated in an announcement that Pakistan’s military chief, serving as an middleman, offered the proposals to Iran throughout his latest go to to Tehran, and that they have been nonetheless beneath evaluate.
It was not revealed what was within the proposals.
‘Extreme calls for’
The council stated Iran has but to reply, however additional talks would require the U.S. to desert “extreme calls for and regulate its requests to the realities on the bottom.”
Iranian Overseas Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday stated on social media: “Consistent with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all industrial vessels by Strait of Hormuz is asserted fully open for the remaining interval of ceasefire.”
Nevertheless, vessels should transit by a “coordinated route” introduced by Iran’s maritime authorities, Araghchi stated. It’s unclear whether or not Tehran will drive ships to pay a toll to move the strait.
Israel and Lebanon agreed Thursday to a 10-day ceasefire beginning at 5 p.m. ET that night. Israel’s navy marketing campaign in Lebanon in opposition to the militant group Hezbollah, which is a detailed ally of Iran, has been one other hurdle in negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
— The Related Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
