Iran Rejects US Demands, Islamabad Talks End in Deadlock Over Strait

Despite an extraordinary diplomatic push by Washington, Iranian officials report that the United States failed to extract any concessions, leaving the regional status quo--and the blockade of the Strait--firmly in place.

In a blunt assessment of the 21-hour marathon negotiations, Iranian representatives highlighted the failure of the American delegation, led by Vice President JD Vance, to achieve through diplomacy what they could not through military pressure.

According to the embassy, the Vice President is returning to Washington "empty-handed," with the Islamic Republic refusing to budge on its strategic positions despite the "intense" pressure applied during the negotiations mediated by Pakistan.

They emphasised that the outcome of the summit rests solely on "Iran's word," implying that the Islamic Republic remains the primary arbiter of regional stability.

The Iranian mission in Ghana framed the results as a total failure for American foreign policy, suggesting that the U.S. administration is now left with "no option left to save face."

In a post on X, the embassy said, "The US flew their Vice President halfway across the world to Islamabad. 21 hours of talks. They demanded everything they couldn't achieve through war. Iran said a BIG NO. The talks are over. The Strait is still closed. And the VP is flying home empty-handed. Just Iran's word. Again. They don't have any option left to save face."

Earlier in the day, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, said Iran and the US had "reached an understanding on a number of issues" and there were "differences of opinion on two to three important" matters, as reported by Al Jazeera.

"These negotiations were held after 40 days of imposed war, and were held in an atmosphere of mistrust and suspicion. It is natural that we should not have expected from the beginning to reach an agreement within one meeting," he said, as quoted by Al Jazeera. "No one expected that either."

Earlier, Baghaei had said the success of the talks depended on the "seriousness and good faith of the opposing side" and the acceptance of Iran's legitimate rights and interests.

Al Jazeera quoted the Iranian Tasnim news agency that an informed source said that the "ball is in America's court" and that "Iran is in no hurry" to negotiate.

"Iran presented reasonable initiatives and proposals in the negotiations. The ball is in America's court to look at the issues realistically," the source said.

The source accused the US of miscalculating in the negotiations, just as it had done in war, and warned that nothing would change in the Strait of Hormuz "until the United States agrees to a reasonable agreement". Iran, the source added, "is in no hurry," as reported by Al Jazeera.

- ANI