IRNA states Iran rejects participation in second round of peace talks with US
Tehran (ANTARA) - Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, reported on Sunday (19/4) that Iran has rejected participation in the second round of peace negotiations with the United States (US). Iran’s absence from the second round of negotiations “stems from what it calls Washington’s excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constantly changing attitudes, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing sea blockade, which it considers a violation of the ceasefire,” the news agency stated in a post on their English-language account on the social media platform X. In another report published in Persian, IRNA described reports released about the second round of peace negotiations between Tehran and Washington in Islamabad as “untrue”. The news agency portrayed various reports issued by the US as part of a “media game and in line with tactics of blaming the other side” to pressure Iran. IRNA also stated that “the US’s excessive, illogical, and unrealistic demands, frequently changing attitudes, continuously contradictory statements, and the continuation of what is called a sea blockade” have so far hindered progress in the negotiations. IRNA conveyed that in the current situation, “there is no bright prospect” for negotiations that yield results. On 28 February, Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Tehran and several other cities in Iran, killing Iran’s then-supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, along with several senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel as well as US bases and assets in the Middle East, and tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz. The conflicting parties agreed to a ceasefire on 8 April, followed by lengthy negotiations between the Iranian and US delegations in Islamabad, Pakistan, on 11 and 12 April. After the peace talks in Islamabad failed, the US imposed their blockade on those waterways. According to reports, the Iranian and US delegations are expected to hold another round of peace negotiations in Pakistan in the near future.