Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday listed a bunch of reasons why negotiations with the US have still not succeeded. In a post on X, the Iranian leader blamed the ongoing naval blockade of Iranian ports by the US and said that the world could see how the US’s claims and actions do not match.
He pointed out to mainly three reasons for obstacles to the negotiations: Breach of commitments, blockade and threats. “World sees your endless hypocritical rhetoric and contradiction between claims and actions,” Pezeshkian wrote on X, asserting that Iran was never against dialogue and agreement. Follow live updates on Iran-US war here.
Negotiations between the US and Iran, expected to take place in Pakistan this week, were put on hold after US President Donald Trump announced that he was extending the ceasefire due to expire on Wednesday. The President said that he was giving time to Iran to come up with a unified proposal after a request to him by Pakistan, the lead negotiator in talks.
However, threats from both sides still continue, with Iran seizing three ships – identified as the MSC Francesca, Epaminondas and Euphoria, after the ceasefire announcement, and the US also keeping up its naval blockade.
No deadline by Trump on Iran proposal
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday said that Trump has not set a deadline on the Iranian proposal but would be setting the timeline himself. “I know there’s been some anonymous-sourced reporting that there was maybe a three- to five-day deadline,” she said. “That is not true. The president has not set a deadline himself. Ultimately, he will dictate the timetable.”
The naval blockade of Iranian ports is one of the key sticking points between Iran and the US. While Trump agreed to extend the ceasefire hours after saying the move was “highly unlikely” from his end, he has still not changed his mind about the blockade near Strait of Hormuz. “I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able,” Trump said on Truth Social on Tuesday.
However, Iran’s envoy to the United Nations has reportedly said the country had “received some sign” the US was ready to lift the blockade. “As soon as they break this blockade, I think that the next round of the negotiations will take place in Islamabad,” Amir-Saeid Iravani was cited as saying by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news site, according to a Reuters report.
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