A tough bras de fer seems to be forming between the US and Iran with Tehran demanding in the first instance an extension of the ceasefire and the lifting of the US blockade of the Sea of Hormuz.
After the diplomatic thriller over whether or not the Iranian delegation would attend the Islamabad negotiations, Iran’s first vice president, Dr. Aref said: “Our negotiating team is courageously defending national interests, and it is necessary for all parties to support it.” He stressed that: “The positions of the opposing side in the negotiations are unstable. It backs down when under pressure and then adopts an intransigent stance“.
According to the latest update, the official state news agency IRNA reported: “Iran said its absence from the second round of talks is due to what it described as excessive demands by Washington, unrealistic expectations, constant changes of stance, repeated contradictions and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a violation of the ceasefire.”
For his part, US President Donald Trump told ABC News earlier today that “he will not participate in the mission solely for security reasons,” but did not provide further explanation.
However, in the new round of talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, 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 earlier today that US negotiators will be in Pakistan tomorrow (Monday, 20/4) to resume talks.
According to initial reports, Iran will be represented by the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Baker Kalibaf and Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi.
US response to Iran’s accusations
Meanwhile, Mike Walch, US Ambassador to the United Nations, speaking on CBS’s Face to Nation was quick to respond to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei. The latter accused the US of saying that the US blockade in the Strait of Hormuz constitutes “illegal and criminal action” and commits “crimes against humanity” by “deliberate, collective punishment on the Iranian population“.
“The bridges and power plants operated by the Revolutionary Guards are perfectly legitimate military targets, not only today, but in the past.It is a false, fabricated and ridiculous notion that this constitutes a war crime,” Mike Waltz responded.
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