Caixin Social Network, April 20th — On April 19th, the Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency (IRNA) released an English message on social media stating that Iran has refused to participate in the second round of negotiations with the United States.
This is a bombshell news!
According to the official statement from the Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency (IRNA), Iran indeed has rejected attending the originally scheduled second round of talks with the U.S.
Iran announced this decision on April 19th local time, with the planned negotiations set to take place in Islamabad, Pakistan.
After being released by Iran’s official media IRNA, the news was widely cited and confirmed by mainstream authoritative outlets such as Xinhua News Agency and Caixin Social Network.
The collapse of these talks reflects the long-standing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, and serves as a backlash against the Trump administration’s repeated extreme pressure on Iran.
The underlying reasons for the deadlock mainly include:
Maritime Blockade: The U.S. policy of blocking Iranian ports since April 13th has been the core obstacle. Iran has made lifting the blockade a precondition for returning to the negotiating table, making its position crystal clear: “As long as there is a maritime blockade, there will be no talks.”
Core Issues: The negotiations have stalled over three major issues, with neither side yielding: the U.S. demands Iran “completely and permanently” abandon nuclear weapons, while Iran only agrees to discuss a “temporary suspension”; the U.S. promise to unfreeze funds clashes with Iran’s demand to lift sanctions first; and both sides are sharply divided over control of the straits.
Lack of Trust: Mutual distrust runs deep. Iran views the U.S. as having “shifting positions and unreasonable demands,” while Trump openly threatened to “destroy power plants and bridges” as maximum pressure. Furthermore, last-minute changes to the U.S. negotiation team have led Iran to question the sincerity of the U.S. side.
Trump’s Statement: On April 19th, during an interview, Trump stated that Witkoff and Kushner would travel to Pakistan to attend the negotiations, and explicitly said Vice President Vance would not participate in this round.
Trump’s sudden reversal has further intensified Iran’s sense of mistrust. The breakdown of talks will bring greater uncertainty to regional stability.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1862925787670604/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.