U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday indicated the second round of talks between Washington and Tehran can take place within the next “two or three” days despite persistent mistrust from Iran.
“It’s possible!” he told the New York Post to queries on whether the talks were “expected in Islamabad within the next 36 to 72 hours.” However, his remarks are in stark contrast to statements emerging from Iran, which has declared it has no intent to participate in peace talks in the near future.
Speaking with Reuters, Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said a permanent ceasefire did not make sense so long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports persisted. In a post on X, he similarly said the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz was impossible with such a “flagrant breach of the ceasefire” from the U.S.
Separately, also on X, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also cited the “breach of commitments, blockade and threats” as the main barriers to further talks. “The Islamic Republic of Iran has welcomed dialogue and agreement and continues to do so. Breach of commitments, blockade and threats are the main obstacles to genuine negotiations. The world sees your endless hypocritical rhetoric and contradiction between claims and actions,” he added.
On Wednesday, the Iranian navy seized at least two ships after they tried to cross the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials have also stressed that the ongoing U.S. blockade is a violation of their ceasefire and would need to end prior to further talks. However, the U.S.—and Trump—have maintained the blockade would continue until the peace talks conclude. In his TruthSocial post announcing an extension to the ceasefire, Trump left an end-point open-ended, saying it will allow Iran to consult all its factions prior to submitting proposals.
The Iranians, meanwhile, have taken offense at the assertion of division within their ranks, with Al Jazeera quoting a spokesman for the Iranian president as saying the Iranian leadership’s unity was “unprecedented and exemplary.” Iran maintains it will not negotiate under any deadline.
Amidst the back-and-forth, Pakistan is continuing its role as mediator, with large parts of the federal capital shut down to ensure security for the potential visit of delegations from Iran and the United States.