Iran rules out direct talks with U.S., urges Pakistan-mediated engagement
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in Islamabad on April 25 that Tehran would not accept U.S. “maximalist demands,” while Pakistan tried to revive talks after this month’s failed ceasefire negotiations. - The White House said envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were flying to Islamabad, with Vice President JD Vance on standby, after officials said the first 21-hour round ended “80%” close. - The push follows the April 12 collapse of the first direct U.S.-Iran talks in more than a decade, leaving Pakistan as the main channel for renewed contact. (usnews.com)
Iran said Saturday it would not accept U.S. “maximalist demands” as Pakistan hosted a new effort to restart talks in Islamabad. (msn.com) Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi arrived in Islamabad on April 25, and the White House said Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would travel there the same day. Karoline Leavitt said Vice President JD Vance was prepared to join if the talks showed movement. (msn.com) (npr.org) Araqchi said Iran wanted “serious” engagement but not direct talks under pressure, according to Reuters, and Pakistani officials were expected to relay Tehran’s proposals to Washington. CNN reported the U.S. team was expected in Islamabad later Saturday. (msn.com) (cnn.com) This was not the first Pakistan-mediated try. On April 11 and 12, U.S. and Iranian delegations held 21 hours of talks in Islamabad and left without a deal. (usnews.com) (militarytimes.com) Reuters reported that first round was the highest-level U.S.-Iran contact since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the first direct encounter in more than a decade. One source involved in the meeting said the sides came “80%” of the way to an agreement before talks broke down. (usnews.com) The unresolved issues were the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear program and sanctions relief. Reuters reported the delegations worked from separate wings of Islamabad’s Serena Hotel and used Pakistani mediators for trilateral sessions. (usnews.com) Since then, Pakistan has tried to keep the channel alive while Washington and Tehran stayed publicly hard-line. President Donald Trump said on April 21 that the United States would extend its ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request while waiting for a unified Iranian proposal. (apnews.com) Pakistan’s role has grown because it has working ties with both governments and already brokered the earlier ceasefire. Bloomberg and Reuters both described Islamabad under heavy security and partial lockdown as officials waited for another round to materialize. (bloomberg.com) (msn.com) The immediate question is whether indirect contacts in Islamabad can produce terms both sides will own publicly. For now, Iran is signaling it will talk through Pakistan, but not on Washington’s stated terms. (msn.com) (npr.org)
