Iran has not decided whether to send negotiators to Islamabad, and the US naval blockade is the reason. Tasnim News Agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said so on April 19, 2026. Al Jazeera quoted the agency saying there is no decision to send a delegation to Pakistan “as long as there is a naval blockade” on Iranian ports.
The timing was awkward. Hours earlier, President Donald Trump had announced on social media that US negotiators would fly to Islamabad on Monday for a possible second round. The first round, led by Vice President JD Vance, ended on April 11 with no agreement.
From undecided to staying home
The wording hardened within a day. Al Jazeera reported that the state news agency IRNA said Tehran had turned the talks down entirely. By April 20, Rudaw reported that Iran had confirmed it would skip the round. Tasnim called the maritime blockade “a very fundamental obstacle in the negotiations” and pointed to what it called “other excessive demands from the American [negotiators].”
President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke of “deep historical mistrust” toward Washington. He called American messaging “unconstructive and contradictory.”
Positions on the table
Iran’s Foreign Ministry labeled the blockade “unlawful and criminal.” Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said it breaks the ceasefire. The US imposed it in mid-April, after a six-week war that ended in a truce on April 8.
The Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program remain the main sticking points. Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said “significant progress” had been made, but he called US nuclear demands “maximalist.” Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was blunter: “We are still far from the final discussion.”
Trump, for his part, threatened to “knock out every single power plant, and every single bridge, in Iran” if no deal is reached.
Sources
- Trump says US negotiators will head to Pakistan for Iran ceasefire talks (Al Jazeera)
- Iran to skip second-round US talks in Islamabad citing naval blockade, distrust (Rudaw)
Sources
- See the latest updates, context and perspectives about this story.
- Tehran has ‘no plans to participate’ in new talks, state… | The Guardian
