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Iran declared this Monday that it currently has no plans to participate in a second round of negotiations with United States, at a time of heightened tension less than 48 hours before the expiration of the bilateral ceasefire.
The spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Bagaei, was blunt in a press conference: we have no plans for the next round of negotiations and no decision has been made regarding this matter.
Bagaei accused Washington of double standards: United States, by adopting contradictory behaviors and continuously violating the terms of the ceasefire, has shown it lacks seriousness in pursuing the diplomatic process.
The immediate trigger was the seizure of the Iranian cargo ship TOUSKA in the Oman Sea on Sunday night, when the U.S. Navy fired at its engine room after ignoring warnings for six hours and took custody of the vessel.
Tehran described the incident as a clear example of an act of aggression and promised that the Iranian Army would respond soon.
Despite the Iranian rejection, the United States sent to Islamabad a delegation led by Vice President JD Vance, along with special envoy Steve Witkoff and advisor Jared Kushner, in an attempt to resume talks.
Ebrahim Azizi, president of the Iranian Parliament's National Security Committee and former commander of the Revolutionary Guard, stated that any trip to Islamabad is contingent on Tehran receiving positive signals, and warned that going to Islamabad does not mean negotiating at any cost.
Azizi was equally firm about the Strait of Hormuz, through which between 20% and 30% of the world's oil transits: Iran will decide the right of passage, including permits for vessels to transit through the strait, he stated to the BBC, ruling out any concession regarding what he described as an inalienable right.
Among the preconditions that Iran demands for negotiations are the release of assets frozen due to international sanctions and the resolution of the situation in Lebanon.
The positions of both parties remain incompatible. Washington demands the complete dismantling of the Iranian nuclear program and a twenty-year moratorium on uranium enrichment, while Tehran offers only a five-year pause and claims 270 billion dollars in compensation for war damages.
The U.S. naval blockade, in effect since April 13, is costing Iran about 500 million dollars per day, according to data from the conflict monitoring dossier.
The first round of negotiations in Islamabad, held between April 10 and 12, ended in failure after 21 hours of discussions without an agreement, marking the first high-level direct diplomatic contact between the two countries since 1979.
The ceasefire agreed upon on April 8 expires this Wednesday, and Trump has already warned that if Tehran does not accept the proposal made by Washington, he could destroy each and every power plant and bridge in Iran.
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