Tensions remain high between Iran and the US. It is still considered doubtful whether a new round of talks will take place in Islamabad, despite preparations by the Pakistani government.

While the SideTrump asserts that the new round of talks is scheduled for tomorrow Monday (20/4), the Iranian side is setting strict conditions to come to the dialogue table. Through state news agencies, the Iranian side cited sources from the Pakistani government and informed that “no date has been set for the Iran – US“.

Tehran’s strict conditions

In a new update, Tehran sets strict conditions for the dialogue. It says it “does not intend to send a negotiating delegation to Islamabad for the time being.” “As long as the naval blockade in the Sea Strait of Hormuz lasts, no negotiations will be held,” the Iranian government stresses.

Reports say that “the exchange of messages between Iran and the United States through a Pakistani mediator has continued in recent days even after the conclusion of the first round of negotiations.” “This exchange of messages is actually a continuation of the same course followed during the first round of negotiations. That is, the same course that ultimately led to the failure of the negotiations due to the greed and ambitions of the Americans,” Iran’s state news agencies reported.

“After the conclusion of these negotiations, the Pakistani mediator continued to exchange messages during the last period,” it said. In this context, “the Iranian negotiating team confirmed today that as long as Trump’s announcement on Iran’s naval blockade remains in force, no negotiations will be held.”

In this context, the situation in the region does not seem to be de-escalating. Yesterday, Iran decided to move to blockade the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US naval blockade. Also yesterday, the Revolutionary Guards carried out attacks on three British and Indian flagged oil tankers, as well as today, and threatened two more ships.

Iranian Foreign Ministry’s tough response to Trump

Meanwhile, Iran has called the US blockade of the Sea Strait of Hormuz “illegal and criminal”, while denouncing the US for “crimes against humanity” by “deliberately, collectively punishing the Iranian population”.

“The so-called ‘blockade’ of Iran’s ports or coasts by the United States is not only a violation of the ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, but is also illegal and criminal,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei responded today.

In the same vein, he went on to say that the US blockade “violates Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations, constitutes an act of aggression under Article 3(c) of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3314 (1974), which explicitly includes the blockade of a state’s ports or coasts among such acts.” “In addition, deliberately imposing collective punishment on the Iranian population amounts to a war crime and a crime against humanity,” Esmail Bagha concluded in his message.

What Trump said

This is in response to the latest statements by US President Donald Trump, as he accused Iran of “deciding yesterday to fire shots into the Strait of Hormuz“, which he said was a “full violation of the ceasefire agreement“.

Ahead of the resumption of talks in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, Donald Trump said, addressing Iran, “We are offering a very fair and reasonable AGREEMENT, and I hope they accept it, because if they don’t, the United States will destroy every power plant and every bridge in Iran.” “THE GOOD LORD!,” Donald Trump wrote on truth social.

The US negotiating team

According to new reports, the US negotiating team will be the same one that attended the previous round of talks in Islamabad, which ended unsuccessfully on April 12. They are US Vice President J.D. Vance and special mediators Stiv Whitcoff and Jarrett Kushner. Donald Trump said US negotiators will be in Pakistan tomorrow (Monday (20/4) to resume talks.

Security preparations in Islamabad

Ahead of a new round of US-Iran talks mediated by the government of Pakistan, in Islamabad, security measures appear to be stepped up, the French News Agency (AFP) reported. Earlier, Pakistani authorities had announced road closures and traffic restrictions across the city, as well as in the neighboring city of Rawalpindi.

AFP reporters saw armed men and checkpoints near hotels in Islamabad, notably the Marriott and the Serena, where the latest round of negotiations were held. Most roads leading to the Serena Hotel were blocked today, with barbed wire, barricades, heavy security forces and traffic diversions.

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