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Qalibaf says Iran will not negotiate under ‘shadow of threats’
Tehran poised to reveal ‘new cards’ on battlefield
No decision has been made so far for the second round of talks between Iran and the United States in Pakistan as Iran underlines that it will not negotiate under the shadow of threats.
Despite the US claims in recent days that Tehran has accepted to take part in the second round of talks, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said that Iran will not accept negotiations with Washington under the shadow of threats.
In a post on his X handle early on Tuesday, Qalibaf denounced US President Donald Trump for acting on a delusion.
His remarks came in response to continued US ceasefire violations of the ceasefire deal reached two weeks ago, including a naval blockade and an attack on an Iranian merchant vessel in the Sea of Oman on Sunday.
"Trump, by imposing a blockade and violating the ceasefire, wants – in his own delusion – to turn the negotiating table into a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering," the top lawmaker and lead negotiator said.
Qalibaf made it clear that pressure tactics will not yield results at the negotiating table.
"We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats," he said. "Over the past two weeks, we have prepared ourselves to reveal new cards on the battlefield."
US ceasefire violations
The remarks came as the next round of talks between Tehran and Washington were shrouded in uncertainty following renewed American aggression at sea, after the US Navy violated the ceasefire by targeting an Iranian merchant vessel in the Sea of Oman.
The Iranian military described the incident as a breach of maritime conduct and reiterated that its response posture remains active, while stressing confidence in national capabilities.
Earlier on Monday, President Masoud Pezeshkian rejected US threats as pressure tactics, saying Iran will not submit to coercion, even as Washington continued to float military and diplomatic ultimatums.
According to reports in US media, the American delegation was scheduled to fly to Islamabad on Tuesday for the next round of talks with the Iranian delegation.
“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable deal, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single power plant, and every single bridge, in Iran,” Trump wrote on his social media pages.
Trump’s threats
The US president reiterated its threats against Iran on Tuesday, saying that the US military has used the ceasefire period to restock on equipment and is ready to resume attacks against Iran if he orders them.
“We’re loaded up,” Trump told CNBC. “We have so much ammo, so much of everything. … We’ve used this to restock, and they probably have done a little bit of restocking.
“We’re ready to go. The military is raring to go.”
He added that he does not want to extend the ceasefire, which is due to expire on Wednesday.
“We don’t have that much time,” he said.
“Iran can get themselves on very good footing if they make a deal,” he said, claiming that Iranian officials have “no choice” but to negotiate.
The war of aggression by the US and Israel was launched on February 28 with the assassination of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, top military commanders, and ordinary civilians, including nearly 170 schoolchildren in southern Iran's Minab city.
After 40 days of aggression, the US agreed to Iran's ten-point proposal, which paved the way for talks between Iran and the US under Pakistani mediation in Islamabad.
The first round of talks in Islamabad failed to produce an agreement, with Iranian officials blaming the US side for putting forward excessive demands and shifting its position at the negotiating table.