Iran Refuses Talks in Islamabad, Warns US and Israel of Response After Strait of Hormuz Seizure

Iran has signalled it has no plans to send negotiators to Islamabad for a new round of talks with the United States, casting doubt on Pakistan’s efforts to extend a fragile ceasefire that is set to expire.

“Islamabad, Pakistan – Iran has signalled that it has no plans to send negotiators to Islamabad for a new round of talks with the United States, threatening Pakistan’s plans for multiday negotiations between the warring nations less than 48 hours before a fragile ceasefire is set to expire”

Al Jazeera

Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Washington had “violated the ceasefire from the beginning of its implementation,” citing the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz since April 13 and the overnight capture of an Iranian container ship by the US military.

Al Jazeera

Baghaei warned that if the US and Israel launched aggression again, Iranian forces “will respond accordingly,” while reaffirming that Tehran’s 10-point proposal remained its basis for any negotiation.

The dispute is unfolding less than 48 hours before the truce expires, with US President Donald Trump announcing that his representatives were heading to Pakistan for negotiations as the deadline edges toward Wednesday.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that “My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan. They will be there tomorrow evening, for Negotiations,” and accused Iran of a “Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement” after Iranian gunboats fired on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.

In the early hours of Monday, Trump said the US Navy guided missile destroyer USS Spruance intercepted an Iranian-flagged cargo ship, the Touska, in the Gulf of Oman after its crew refused to heed warnings.

Iran described the seizure as “piracy,” while Pakistan’s Marriott Hotel and Serena Hotel asked guests to vacate and stopped taking reservations as security tightened in Islamabad’s Red Zone.

The immediate backdrop to Iran’s refusal to send negotiators is a widening dispute over maritime access and ceasefire compliance, with both sides trading accusations in the run-up to the talks.

Baghaei pointed to the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz since April 13 and the US capture of the Iranian container ship as breaches of the truce and of international law.

AP News

Trump, for his part, framed the same events as Iranian violations, writing that he accused Iran of a “Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement” after Iranian gunboats fired on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, including a French vessel and a British freighter.

The Guardian reported that Trump said “Iran has violated the ceasefire numerous times” in a brief Truth Social post, without specifying what breaches he was referring to.

The Guardian also described Iran’s counter-position through a spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, who said it was Washington’s blockade of the waterway that was a violation of the agreement.

NBC News added that Iran demanded the immediate release of a cargo ship seized by the US Navy and vowed retaliation, as the American naval blockade added to tensions around the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

The Guardian further reported that at least 26 Iranian “shadow fleet” vessels have bypassed the US naval blockade since it took effect on 13 April, citing Lloyd’s List.

Amid the escalation, Pakistan’s mediation effort was paired with visible preparations in Islamabad, including roads into the Red Zone being sealed and thousands of additional police and paramilitary personnel arriving from across the country.

As the talks approach, Iranian officials and mediators have delivered sharply different messages about whether diplomacy can proceed without threats and breaches.

“US President Donald Trump has accused Iran of violating the ceasefire agreement "numerous times"”

BBC

In Islamabad, Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the US is “not learning its lessons from experience,” adding that “this will never lead to good results,” and he said Iran had informed Pakistan of the violations.

Baghaei’s warning about response if aggression resumes was echoed by senior commander Ali Abdollahi, quoted by Tasnim, who said Iran’s armed forces are ready to deliver an “immediate and decisive response” to any renewed hostile action.

Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, expected to head the Iranian delegation if peace talks take place in Pakistan, said Tehran was “prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield” and warned they were “prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield”.

NBC News reported that Iran’s top negotiator warned Iran will not negotiate “under the shadow of threat” and has prepared “new cards on the battlefield,” while also saying Tehran is ready if the war resumes.

On the US side, Trump’s threats were explicit: he wrote that if the talks fail, “the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” and in another post he said “lots of bombs [will] start going off.”

Pakistan’s mediation was also accompanied by statements from Chinese officials, with Pakistan’s foreign ministry saying Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong conveyed China’s “full support and appreciation” to Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar for Islamabad’s mediation efforts.

The Guardian added that China’s ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong, expressed his “full support” of Pakistan’s mediation efforts, and it quoted Pakistan’s foreign ministry describing talks between Ishaq Dar and Zaidong focused on “the “latest regional developments”.

Coverage of the impending second round of negotiations diverges on whether Iran will participate and who will be present, even as multiple outlets describe the same security and timing pressures in Islamabad.

Al Jazeera reported that Iran has now said it has no plans for talks, following a rapid escalation in tensions over the past 24 hours, and it described Pakistan’s preparations including the Marriott Hotel and Serena Hotel asking guests to vacate and stopping reservations.

CNBC

Elaph, citing Reuters, described a senior Iranian official as reconsidering withdrawal from the proposed second round, saying Tehran is “positively reviewing its participation,” while also stating that no final decision has yet been made.

NBC News said Vice President JD Vance will likely head to Islamabad today for negotiations and that the US has sounded positive about talks despite uncertainty over Tehran’s participation.

The Guardian reported that Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran would not attend negotiations while under threat and warned they were “prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield,” while also noting Trump’s deadline-driven threats.

CNN reported that Iran’s Foreign Ministry called for the release of the seized cargo vessel and said Iran has vowed to retaliate, while also describing mixed messages from Iranian officials and state media about whether negotiators have arrived in Islamabad.

CNBC reported that “No Iranian delegation has yet departed for Islamabad, Reuters reported Tuesday,” contradicting international media reports that a team of representatives was traveling.

The New York Times described “clearer indications” that both sides would send negotiators to Pakistan on Tuesday, saying Iranian officials said privately they would send a team if JD Vance were there, even while the US and Iran remained at an impasse over marine traffic.

In parallel, the BBC described uncertainty on the ground, saying “there is concern that negotiations will result in demands made of Iranians that they are not ready to meet,” and it reported that Trump’s accusation of “numerous times” violations came without details.

The stakes of the negotiations are framed in the sources as both immediate and structural, with the ceasefire deadline and the Strait of Hormuz blockade shaping what happens next.

Trump said the ceasefire is due to expire on Wednesday and that he is “highly unlikely” to extend it if a deal is not reached, while also saying “The Strait of Hormuz would remain blocked until a peace agreement is finalized.”

CNBC

The BBC reported that a ceasefire between the two countries is due to expire on Wednesday and that Trump said an extension is “highly unlikely,” while also describing the uncertainty in Islamabad with security checkpoints and “Islamabad Talks” posters lining streets.

NBC News described Iran’s position that it is ready if the war resumes and that it has prepared “new cards on the battlefield,” while also reporting that the US Navy boarded another sanctioned tanker overnight and that the Pentagon said it would pursue “global maritime enforcement efforts” to interdict sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran.

The Guardian added that since the blockade began, the US has directed 27 vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port, according to a social media post published by Centcom, and it reported that Lloyd’s List said 11 tankers laden with Iranian cargo have left the Gulf of Oman or the Middle East Gulf since 13 April.

In parallel, the BBC reported that Iran’s internet blackout had entered its 53rd day, saying “The Iran internet blackout is now in its 53rd day after 1248 hours of disconnection from global networks,” and it described tiered access and the risk of up to two years in prison for using or possessing Starlink.

Domestically, NBC News said Iran’s forensics chief said nearly 3,400 people had been killed in the country since US-Israeli strikes began Feb. 28, and it listed more than 2,200 killed in Lebanon, 32 killed in Gulf states, and 23 killed in Israel, alongside 13 US service members killed.

Even as negotiations loom, the sources show that the conflict’s consequences are already being counted and that the next phase could involve both renewed fighting and further maritime enforcement.

Against that backdrop, Pakistan’s mediation and China’s support remain part of the immediate diplomatic calculus, with Pakistan’s foreign ministry saying it received China’s “full support and appreciation” for Islamabad’s mediation efforts and the Guardian reporting China’s ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong expressed “full support” for the mediation.