Iran Blasts U.S. as Peace Efforts Falter

Iran’s foreign ministry declared on Monday that Washington lacks genuine commitment to diplomacy, pointing to multiple breaches of the fragile two-week truce now in effect.

Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told reporters during a regular briefing that American actions contradicted its public statements about wanting negotiations.

“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.

Baqaei listed three specific incidents as “clear violations of the ceasefire”: an early-morning US strike on an Iranian cargo vessel, the ongoing American naval blockade of Iranian ports, and delays in carrying out the Lebanon ceasefire agreement.

The wider conflict erupted on February 28 after strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, drawing Israel and the United States into open war with Iran and destabilising much of the region.

A previous round of direct talks between Tehran and Washington failed to produce any agreement to end the fighting.

Those discussions took place under the shadow of the two-week ceasefire that took effect on April 8.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced he had directed American negotiators to fly to Pakistan on Monday for fresh talks, yet Iran has still not confirmed whether it will attend.

“As of now, while I am at your service, we have no plans for the next round of negotiation, and no decision has been made in this regard,” Baqaei stated.

Negotiators remain deadlocked over two major issues: Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium and the future status of the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively shut since the war began.

Baqaei firmly rejected any suggestion that Tehran might hand over its enriched uranium.

“Regarding the issue of transferring enriched uranium, neither during this period of negotiations nor before has transferring it to the United States been discussed,” he said.

“It was never raised as an option for us,” he added.