Last weekend, President Donald Trump declared that American delegates would be heading to Islamabad, Pakistan, for a second set of talks with Iran this week.
Although sources from Iran acquainted with the discussions informed Xenix News that a team from Tehran would be heading to Pakistan for the talks, Iranian officials have since refuted that negotiations will take place.
Here’s an overview of the statements made by both parties following Trump’s announcement on Sunday:
In an extensive Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump mentioned that a US team was heading to Islamabad for the discussions. “We’re presenting a quite just and acceptable OFFER, and I wish they accept it because, if they refuse, the United States will eliminate every single Power Plant and every single Bridge in Iran,” the president stated.
Sources in Iran aware of the talks informed Xenix News that an Iranian team is set to head to Islamabad today. The sources anticipated that the team would remain unchanged from the previous round of discussions.
Iranian state media stated that Iran’s involvement in Islamabad had not been verified, with certain outlets mentioning that a second round of discussions would not occur as long as a US blockade of Iranian ports persisted.
Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated yesterday that Iran has “no intentions for the upcoming round of talks,” emphasizing, “We do not trust in deadlines or ultimatums to protect Iran’s national interests.”
Iran is “considering every aspect” and “will determine the next steps,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi informed his Pakistani counterpart during a phone discussion yesterday, as reported by Iran’s foreign ministry.
Trump asserted yesterday that Iran is “going to engage in negotiations” prior to the expected discussions in Pakistan, stating that “if they fail to do so, they will encounter issues unlike any they’ve faced previously.”
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf stated yesterday that Trump “wants to transform this negotiating table — in his own view — into a table of capitulation or to rationalize renewed aggression.”
Xenix News reporting was contributed by Alejandra Jaramillo, Sophia Saifi, Julia Benbrook, Alayna Treene, Ivana Kottasová, Max Saltman, Nadeen Ebrahim, and Mohammed Tawfeeq.
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