TEHRAN/ WASHINGTON: Iran said it had yet to decide whether to attend a new round of peace negotiations with the United States, as Washington’s delegation prepared to depart for Islamabad on Monday.
The uncertainty over the talks came as US President Donald Trump suggested he could resume attacks should the current temporary ceasefire lapse. Trump said he now considers the ceasefire with Iran over “Wednesday evening Washington time” but that it’s “highly unlikely” he would extend it further if a deal is not reached.
However, a senior Pakistani government official told Reuters on Monday that Pakistan is confident it can get Iran to attend talks with the United States. “We have received a positive signal from Iran. Things are fluid but we are trying that they should be here when we start the talks tomorrow or a day after,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The source added Pakistan is actively engaged with Tehran and Washington as President Trump’s ceasefire deadline looms.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar that the US “continued violations of the ceasefire” are a major obstacle to the continuation of the diplomatic process, an Iranian foreign ministry statement said on Monday. Araghchi told Dar in a phone call that Iran, while taking all aspects of the matter into account, will decide on how to proceed further.
Dar emphasised the importance of continued dialogue and engagement at the earliest to resolve all pending issues in order to promote regional peace and stability. Both agreed to remain closely engaged.
Since initial talks in Islamabad ended without a deal earlier this month, both sides have accused the other of breaching the truce. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said, “We have no plans for the next round of negotiation, and no decision has been made in this regard.” He added, “The US is carrying out behaviours that do not in any way indicate seriousness in pursuing a diplomatic process.” He called the ongoing US blockade of Iranian ports and its recent seizure of a ship “clear violations of the ceasefire”.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said that “unconstructive & contradictory signals from American officials carry a bitter message; they seek Iran’s surrender.” “Iranians do not submit to force,” he added on X.
Trump has similarly accused Tehran of violating the truce by harassing vessels in the crucial Strait of Hormuz trade route, which Iran has all but shut. The US delegation was due to head to Pakistan “soon”, a source familiar with the plan told AFP on Monday, with Trump telling PBS News that Iran was “supposed to be there. We agreed to be there”.
US Vice President JD Vance was expected to depart Washington on Tuesday to travel to Pakistan to take part in the latest round of talks with Iran, people familiar with the plans told CNN.
Trump said that if the ceasefire ended without a peace deal “then lots of bombs start going off”, separately telling Bloomberg News it was “highly unlikely” he would extend the two-week truce.
Based on its start time, the truce theoretically expires overnight Tuesday, Tehran time, though in his comments to Bloomberg, Trump said the end was a day later, on Wednesday evening Washington time.
In Tehran, where the main airports reopened on Monday for the first time in weeks, life appeared largely back to normal, with cafes crowded and people out exercising and strolling in parks. But city residents who spoke to Paris-based AFP journalists said the situation was far from rosy.
In spite of the uncertainty surrounding the talks in Pakistan, security has been visibly stepped up in the capital Islamabad.A White House official said Vice President JD Vance would lead the delegation, joined by Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Trump has been under pressure to find an off-ramp since Tehran moved to choke off the Strait of Hormuz. But the naval blockade to cut off Iran’s oil revenues and the seizure of a cargo ship allegedly trying to evade it have drawn renewed threats from Tehran instead of pressuring them back to the negotiating table.
The ISNA news agency cited a spokesperson for Iran’s central command centre as warning that the military “will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy”, while Tasnim reported Tehran had sent drones in the direction of US military ships.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned that any vessel attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without permission “will be targeted”.Chinese President Xi Jinping told Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a phone call on Monday that “normal traffic” through the vital conduit for oil and gas shipments “should be maintained”, state media said.
President Trump said he believed a nuclear deal the US is negotiating with Iran will be better than the international agreement agreed to in 2015 to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme.“The DEAL that we are making with Iran will be FAR BETTER than the JCPOA, commonly referred to as “The Iran Nuclear Deal,” Trump wrote in a social media post.
The U.S. military said it had fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship headed towards Iran’s Bandar Abbas port on Sunday after a six-hour standoff, disabling its engines. US Central Command released video showing Marines descending ropes from helicopters onto the vessel.
The vessel is likely to have been carrying what Washington deems dual-use items that could be used by the military, maritime security sources said on Monday.
Iran’s military said the ship had been travelling from China and accused the US of “armed piracy”, according to state media. They said they were ready to confront US forces over the “blatant aggression”, but were constrained by the presence of crew members’ families on board.
China, the main buyer of Iranian crude, expressed concern over the “forced interception”, and Chinese President Xi Jinping called for ships to resume passage through the strait as normal and for the conflict to be resolved through political and diplomatic channels, state news agency Xinhua reported.
President Trump said he is willing to meet with senior Iranian leaders if a breakthrough is reached — as he brushed off the regime’s threats to boycott the latest round of peace talks.“I have no problem meeting them,” Trump told The New York Post Monday. “If they want to meet, and we have some very capable people, but I have no problem meeting them.”
Trump signaled that Iran must come to the table for serious discussion — just hours after Tehran claimed it would not be meeting the American delegation in Islamabad. “We’re supposed to have the talks,” Trump said in a brief interview, brushing aside doubts about whether negotiations would fall apart. “So I would assume at this point nobody’s playing games.”
The president confirmed that Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and adviser Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, are set to head to Islamabad to prepare for the meetings.
Vice President JD Vance and the US delegation is set to land in Pakistan within hours for talks on Iran, President Trump told the New York Post in an interview on Monday.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday received a telephone call from Antonio Costa, President of the European Council and during their cordial conversation, the two leaders exchanged views on the current situation in the Middle East.
The Prime Minister shared with President Costa the latest updates on Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach and peace efforts. President Costa expressed deep appreciation for Pakistan’s constructive role in promoting dialogue and stability in the region and said that the EU was ready to support this process in every possible manner. Both leaders stressed the need to continue with dialogue and diplomacy to ensure lasting regional and global security. In this regard, the two leaders also agreed to remain in touch.
In a post on X, António Costa said, “It was a pleasure to speak with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif. I expressed my sincere gratitude to Pakistan for its tireless efforts and extended my best wishes for the upcoming crucial period. The world is watching with great expectation the next meeting between the United States and Iran, which should take place in Islamabad as soon as possible.
“We hope that an agreement will be reached to bring an end to the conflict and lead to the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The European Union supports all ongoing efforts towards peace in the Middle East,” he added.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Monday held a telephone conversation with Foreign Minister of Australia Penny Wong, with the latter appreciating Pakistan’s constructive role in facilitating dialogue between Iran and the United States. During the conversation, the Australian FM also lauded the deputy prime minister’s efforts, as well as Pakistan’s continued commitment to promoting diplomatic engagement in this regard.
China expressed concern over the US seizure of an Iranian-flagged vessel that tried to evade a naval blockade, and urged all parties to resume peace talks.
“We express concern over the US side’s forcible interception of the relevant vessel,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference when asked about the seizure, calling on countries involved to return to negotiations.
Moscow called for the US-Iran ceasefire to be maintained and for diplomatic efforts to continue, after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke with his Iranian counterpart, a close Russian ally.
“The Russian side again emphasised the need to preserve the truce, which must be observed within the parameters initially agreed upon and announced by the Pakistani mediators,” the foreign ministry said after the call between Lavrov and Iran’s Abbas Araghchi.
Russia criticised what it called Washington’s “unlawful naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and seizure of an Iranian container ship”. Moscow also said Iran had pledged to do everything it could to ensure the unhindered passage of any Russian vessels and cargo through the Strait.
US President Donald Trump told Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir that he would consider Munir’s advice on the US blockade of Iran’s ports being a hurdle to peace talks with Iran when the two spoke by phone, a Pakistani security source told Reuters on Monday.
“Reuters report claiming Pakistani field marshal called on Trump to halt blockade for peace talks is false: Islamabad sources,” New York Post reporter CaitlinDoornbos stated.
Iran reopened its main Imam Khomeini and Mehrabad airports in capital Tehran on Monday, the country’s aviation authority said, after closures caused by the weeks-long war with the United States and Israel.
Qatar’s aviation authority announced on Monday that it would begin allowing flights from foreign airlines to land at its main airport for the first time since the start of the Middle East war.Iran on Monday executed two members of opposition group the People’s Mujahedin (MEK) who were convicted of spying for Israel, with the judiciary chief warning of “no leniency”.
The United States said Monday it is committed to hosting further talks among G20 economies on how the Middle East war is impacting food and fertilizer supplies and prices. The United States is the current rotating chair of the Group of 20, which represents 85 percent of the global economy.
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates said they arrested members of an Iran-linked group plotting “terrorist” acts in the country, attempting to recruit Emiratis and funnelling funds to “suspicious” foreign entities.
Israeli and Lebanese representatives will hold talks in Washington on Thursday, a US State Department spokesperson and an Israeli source speaking on the condition of anonymity told Reuters on Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed “harsh action” on Monday against a soldier caught on camera vandalising a statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon.French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for the United States and Iran to de-escalate amid increased tensions over the weekend over the Strait of Hormuz.UK police said Monday they had arrested two teenagers after the latest arson attack on sites including Jewish ones in London, bringing the number of arrests for six incidents to 15.
US President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed his top energy official’s view that gas prices will not drop until 2027, saying Americans can expect lower costs as soon as the Iran war ends.
The Iranian-flagged container ship Touska, which was boarded and seized by US forces on Sunday, is likely to have what Washington deems dual-use items that could be used by the military onboard, maritime security sources said on Monday.
The small container ship, which is part of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) group that has been hit with U.S. sanctions, was boarded on Sunday off the coast of Iran’s Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman and last reported its position at 1308 GMT, according to ship-tracking data on the Marine Traffic platform.
The U.S. Central Command said Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, and that the vessel was in violation of a U.S. blockade.The security sources, who declined to be identified, said their initial assessments were the vessel was likely to be carrying dual-use items after a voyage from Asia.
The vessel had previously transported items deemed as dual-use, one of the sources said. The sources did not go into details on the items. U.S. Central Command has listed metals, pipes and electronic components among other goods that could have a military as well as an industrial use and could be captured.
The European Union will expand the criteria of its Iran sanctions to include those responsible for blocking the Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely shut for nearly two months upending global energy and commodities markets, two EU diplomats said.
The U.S. military has directed 27 vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port since the beginning of its blockade around the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said in a statement on X on Monday.
President Donald Trump said on Monday that Israel did not persuade him to attack Iran, after news reports that Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu influenced the U.S. president’s decision and criticism from right-wing commentators.
“Israel never talked me into the war with Iran, the results of Oct. 7th, added to my lifelong opinion that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, did,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Trump also said “the results in Iran will be amazing” in the post, which came as the United States prepared to resume negotiations in Pakistan although Iran was undecided. “And if Iran’s new leaders (Regime Change!) are smart, Iran can have a great and prosperous future!” Trump wrote.
Kuwait has declared force majeure on shipments of crude oil and refined products after a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz prevented some vessels from entering the Persian Gulf, hindering its ability to meet certain customer commitments, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing a document.
Israel on Monday said it had uncovered an Iranian network that had planned to attack a pipeline carrying crude oil from Azerbaijan to the Mediterranean as well as Israeli and Jewish targets in Azerbaijan.
