Iran reviewing US proposals for possible Islamabad talks
Tehran ‘not optimistic’ as Washington is ‘unrealistic’
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei said on Monday that Iranian officials are still reviewing the proposed US plan conveyed to Tehran during the Pakistani army chief's visit, stressing that Tehran has “no plans” for new talks in Pakistan.
His remarks came as the US has said it will send a delegation to Pakistan headed by Vice-President JD Vance for a new round of negotiations with Iran.
Pakistani officials also said they remain cautiously hopeful that they can bring the two sides back to the negotiating table. Islamabad has been gearing up to host the talks aimed at ending their war.
Islamabad’s Marriott Hotel asked guests to vacate by Sunday afternoon. The Serena Hotel, just a few kilometers away and the venue for the first round of talks a week earlier, soon issued the same order and stopped taking reservations.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi briefed Iranian Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghaddam and US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker on arrangements for the possible talks during separate meetings in the capital.
US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that his representatives were heading to Pakistan for the second round of negotiations, as the ceasefire, due to expire on Wednesday, edges towards its deadline.
“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.
Before Trump’s post on Sunday, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said “new proposals” from the US had been put forward during a visit to Iran by Pakistan’s army chief and were being reviewed.
Next round of talks
However, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesman accused Washington of violating the ceasefire, saying that no decision had been made yet regarding the next round. Baqaei added that Iran could not forget the costly experience of Washington's previous breaches of its promises.
"So, we remain vigilant against the enemy’s schemes, and this is the duty of the negotiating team and all Iranian institutions," the spokesman asserted.
In light of the absence of all trust between the two sides, Iran is "not optimistic" about the talks, rather adopting a "realistic" attitude towards the matter, the official noted.
He again urged vigilance in the face of the enemy's schemes, and said Iran had to exercise even more caution under the current circumstances than it would during wartime.
Baqaei, meanwhile, underlined that the US has repeatedly tested Iran before by reneging on its pledges and facing decisive backlash from the Islamic Republic, saying Washington would face the same experience upon repeating its past mistakes.
"The US insists on repeating its mistakes, and it will receive a response similar to the past."
Violation of ceasefire
Baqaei added that Washington had “violated the ceasefire from the beginning of its implementation,” citing the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz since April 13, and the overnight capture of an Iranian container ship by the US military as breaches of the truce as well as international law.
He underlined that the US is not serious about negotiations with Iran.
Baqaei also cited contradictions between Washington's words and actions as a case in point regarding the latter's indecisive attitude towards the issue of the talks.
"[Their] words and actions are not consistent, and Iran will make the appropriate decision with careful consideration of its interests and national priorities," he stated.
The Iranian official additionally pointed out continuation of the Israeli regime's violations against Lebanon, despite the Islamic Republic's insistence on cessation of aggression on all fronts as an indivisible part of any ceasefire.
Referring to the Israeli regime's rehashing its claim of acting in "self-defense" to try to justify its violations, Baqaei said, "This is another example where the other side shifts the blame and conceals its own shortcomings."
‘Unreasonable positions’
The spokesman said the US continues to insist on its "unreasonable and unrealistic positions."
Baqaei, however, reiterated Iran's positions, saying transfer of enriched uranium outside Iran has never been an option for the country, dismissing American officials' remarks in this regard as mere claims and ideas pursued by Washington.
Iran, he added, would not put its defense capabilities, including missile power, up for negotiation either.
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.