Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that disagreements over “two or three" key issues prevented the conclusion of an agreement with the United States in Islamabad.
According to Ukrinform, CNN reported this.
Baqaei said on Sunday, April 12, on the state-run IRIB television channel that the parties had reached an agreement on some issues, but a “gap in viewpoints” remained on others. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance had previously cited the lack of clear commitments from Tehran to abandon nuclear weapons as a key problem.
As noted, Baqaei expressed confidence that Iran would remain in contact with Pakistan, the mediator in the talks, and with “other friends in the region,” but did not say whether Tehran plans to continue negotiations with the United States. Iranian state media reported that Tehran currently has no plans for another round of talks, but Baqaei noted in an interview that “diplomacy never comes to an end.”
“There should have been no expectation that we could reach an agreement in a single session. I don’t think anyone had such an expectation,” he said.
At the same time, according to Axios, which cites a source familiar with the negotiations, some of the disagreements stemmed from Iran’s demand to control the Strait of Hormuz and its unwillingness to give up on its stockpiles of enriched uranium.
As reported by Ukrinform, after nearly a day of negotiations, the U.S. and Iranian delegations failed to agree on the final terms for a lasting end to the war. It is currently unclear whether further rounds of talks are expected.
Photo: AA
