Iranian officials said Monday they are not preparing to participate in another round of negotiations with the U.S., even as President Trump insists he is sending another diplomatic mission to Pakistan this week.
Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said the Islamic republic has “no plans” to travel to Pakistan for talks with the U.S. He added that Washington’s actions concerning the Lebanon ceasefire and the naval blockade of Iranian ports have undermined trust and made further negotiations difficult.
“The United States, through contradictory behavior and continuous violations of the ceasefire, has shown it is not serious about pursuing diplomacy,” Mr. Baghaei told reporters at a press briefing.
The U.S. Navy fired Sunday on an Iranian-flagged commercial vessel attempting to travel around the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. The incident was the first of its kind since the start of the blockade and could be seen in Tehran as a violation of the two-week ceasefire between the two countries.
Mr. Trump announced Sunday that a U.S. delegation would travel Monday to Islamabad, Pakistan, for another round of talks. Vice President J.D. Vance, White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, are expected to lead the team.
Mr. Trump did not say on which day the talks would take place or if they would be direct negotiations with Iran.
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Pakistan, which hosted the previous round of talks this month, has not formally announced a second round of talks. Reports indicate that authorities are preparing to deploy about 10,000 extra security forces in Islamabad and that the city has been placed under a heavy security lockdown.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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