Uuncertainty remains over whether Iran will attend a second round of US-Iran negotiations due in Islamabad, as tensions between the United States and Iran have sharply escalated after US forces seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman.
Iran has signalled that it has no plans to send negotiators to Islamabad for a new round of talks with the United States, threatening Pakistan’s plans for multiday negotiations between the warring nations less than 48 hours before a fragile ceasefire is set to expire.
A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, said no decision had been made.
“As of now… we have no plans for the next round of negotiation,” Baghaei said, adding that Iran does not respond to “deadlines or ultimatums” when national interests are at stake.
He also accused Washington of undermining diplomacy. “While claiming diplomacy and readiness for negotiations, the US is carrying out behaviours that do not in any way indicate seriousness in pursuing a diplomatic process,” he said.
Baghaei said on Monday 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.
According to US officials, the ship, identified as the Touska, was intercepted after allegedly attempting to breach a blockade near Iranian ports.
US President Donald Trump said the vessel was given multiple warnings before US naval forces disabled its engine room and boarded it. The US Central Command said Marines from the USS Spruance and USS Tripoli conducted the operation after what it described as a six-hour period of non-compliance.
Iran, however, condemned the incident as “armed piracy” and a violation of a ceasefire arrangement.
Its military headquarters, Khatam al-Anbiya, vowed retaliation, while Iranian media reported drone activity targeting US naval assets in the region, though no damage has been confirmed.
Baghaei further reiterated that Iran would not accept removing its nuclear stockpile as part of any deal, a key sticking point in earlier talks held in Pakistan on 12 April that ended without agreement.
Despite Iran’s hesitation, the United States has confirmed it will send a high-level delegation to Islamabad, led by Vice-President JD Vance, alongside Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner. US officials say President Trump is pushing for renewed negotiations aimed at extending a fragile ceasefire due to expire this week.
However, Iranian state media has reported that officials may boycott the talks, citing continued US military pressure and what it described as a “naval blockade” of Iranian ports.
The escalation has already rippled through global markets. Oil prices rose sharply following the seizure of the Iranian vessel and renewed fears of instability in the Strait of Hormuz — a critical passageway for global energy supplies. Brent crude jumped nearly 5% as traders reacted to concerns over potential disruption.
China, a major importer of Iranian oil, expressed “concern” over the US action and urged both sides to return to diplomacy, warning against further destabilisation of maritime trade routes.
