Trump's Diplomatic Deception, Iran Stands Firm

On Saturday, April 25, U.S. President Trump announced that he had canceled the U.S. delegation's trip to Pakistan to attend U.S.-Iran negotiations. Prior to this, Iran's Foreign Minister had already left Islamabad. Trump's diplomatic bluff has failed to impress Iran, and the narrative of the second round of U.S.-Iran talks has finally collapsed.

In his social media platform, Trump emphasized that it was unnecessary for the United States to spend 18 hours traveling to Pakistan just to engage in empty talk. He criticized: "There is serious internal conflict and chaos within Iran's leadership. No one knows who is in charge—even they themselves don’t know. But we hold all the cards; they have nothing! If they want to talk, let them call us!"

Speaking on Axios on Saturday, Trump clarified that canceling the negotiation trip did not mean the U.S. would resume bombing Iran. He explicitly stated: "No, this does not mean restarting hostilities. We haven't even considered that possibility."

Just a day earlier, on Friday, Trump still expressed confidence in launching a second round of talks with Iran, despite Iran’s consistent insistence on indirect negotiations through Pakistan to convey its position and demands.

Trump’s Diplomatic Tactics

On Friday, Trump told the media optimistically that Iran planned to propose a solution aimed at meeting U.S. demands—but admitted he himself was still unaware of the specific content of the proposal.

When asked who the U.S. was negotiating with, Trump said: "I don’t want to be specific, but we are dealing with those currently in power."

Although the U.S. had not yet seen the detailed proposal, it had already shown a positive posture. The White House announced that Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would be dispatched to Islamabad on Saturday for talks, and Vice President JD Vance was also prepared to travel at any moment.

White House Press Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt further stated that President Trump remained open to giving diplomacy a chance.

As the second round of negotiations began, the U.S. projected not only confidence but also maintained a firm stance and set clear red lines. On Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated during an early briefing that Iran still had the opportunity to reach a "good deal" with the United States. "Iran knows they still have the chance to make a wise choice… All they need to do is give up their nuclear weapons in a meaningful and verifiable way." Meanwhile, the Trump administration continued to exert economic pressure on Iran.

Iran Stands Firm

Trump held onto hope for the second round of negotiations until the very last moment, but Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Islamabad after meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister and other officials on Saturday.

A Pakistani official told CBS News that Foreign Minister Araghchi was expected to return to Islamabad on Sunday or Monday.

According to Reuters, Araghchi’s visit to Islamabad aimed to discuss Pakistan’s proposal to mediate the resumption of U.S.-Iran peace talks. A Pakistani source involved in the talks said on Saturday that during his visit, Araghchi conveyed Iran’s negotiation demands to Pakistani officials and expressed reservations about the demands made by the United States.

It remains unclear whether Trump’s cancellation of the U.S. delegation’s trip was related to the message conveyed by Iran’s Foreign Minister to Pakistan.

Iran Escalates Efforts to Rename the Strait of Hormuz as the "Persian Gulf"

According to Iran’s Mehr News Agency on the 25th, Iranian Islamic Parliament member Behnam Seyyed said Iran has developed a comprehensive plan regarding the management of the Strait of Hormuz. A key element of this plan is recognizing only the name "Persian Gulf" in all correspondence and commercial documents—rejecting any other name. Vessels and ships navigating in the region must obtain permission from Iran. Iran will fully control sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

He also stated that vessels designated as hostile by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council or Armed Forces General Staff are prohibited from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, with Israeli ships absolutely banned from transiting the area. Ships passing through the region must pay fees related to security, environmental protection, shipping management, and permit issuance, with preference given to payment in rials.

Seyyed noted that countries causing damage to Iran must first reach an agreement with Iran on compensation before Iran grants passage permits to their vessels.

Seyyed revealed that the proposal has already been submitted to Iran’s Islamic Parliament’s National Security Committee. Once the full parliamentary session resumes, the proposal will be presented to the Speaker’s panel and debated in a full assembly. It may also be approved and issued through the Supreme National Security Council.

According to People’s Finance News, an official Chinese state media outlet, on April 25, a Pakistani government source told reporters that compared to the first round of negotiations, Iran had adopted a significantly more hardline stance, emphasizing that any plan to end the war must be implemented according to Iran’s terms—not those proposed by the U.S. President.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1863490402450436/

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