The delegation must discuss the question of future negotiations with Iranian officials, after the failure of a first round of talks between Iran and the United States over the weekend in Islamabad.
Iran is hosting a Pakistani delegation led by influential army chief Asim Munir on Wednesday, April 15, after stating that they will continue their exchanges with the United States through Pakistan, as reported by state television.
According to state television, the delegation, scheduled to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, brings a new message from Washington to Tehran and will discuss the issue of future negotiations with Iranian officials after the failure of the initial talks between the two enemy countries over the weekend in Islamabad.
Iranian diplomacy had previously stated that exchanges with the United States were ongoing through Pakistan.
“Several messages have been exchanged via Pakistan.”
“Since Sunday, when the Iranian delegation returned to Tehran, several messages have been exchanged via Pakistan,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei.
He had announced that it was “very likely” that a Pakistani delegation would visit “to continue discussions in Islamabad.”
But Iran “will not enter any negotiation just to accept American conditions,” he warned at a weekly press conference.
The first round of negotiations between the United States and Iran took place over the weekend in Pakistan, after a two-week ceasefire went into effect on April 8 in the war triggered by an Israeli-American attack on Iran on February 28.
The American delegation was led by Vice President JD Vance and the Iranian side by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Both parties blamed each other for the failure to reach an agreement.
“Unreasonable and unrealistic demands”
US President Donald Trump accused Iran of not reopening the Strait of Hormuz – locked by Tehran since the start of the war – and refusing to commit to not acquiring nuclear weapons, an ambition denied by Tehran.
Information released since then indicates that Washington was demanding a 20-year suspension of Iranian uranium enrichment, with Iran proposing a five-year suspension in return – an offer rejected by American officials.
On Wednesday, Esmaeil Baghaei stated that some of the American demands during the negotiations were “unreasonable and unrealistic,” without providing further details. He emphasized Iran’s right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, stating that it could not be “withdrawn under pressure or through war.”
According to him, Iran “must be able to continue enrichment according to its needs,” but the level of enrichment is negotiable. Esmaeil Baghaei also criticized the American naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports since Monday, stating that it “would not succeed.”
