BY MOHAMMAD TARIQUE SALEEM
President Masoud Pezeshkian told Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Iran will not hold talks with the United States under pressure, threats, or blockade. In a phone call with the Pakistani premier, the Iranian president described the US naval blockade of Iranian ports as an obstacle to diplomacy. The US imposed the blockade after Pakistan-hosted talks between Tehran and Washington in Islamabad ended without a deal earlier this month.
The talks followed a two-week ceasefire aimed at ending the joint US-Israel war on Iran that began on February 28. “At a time when messages about dialogue and negotiation are being conveyed, the simultaneous tightening of the naval blockade and continued operational pressure undermine the very conditions needed to build mutual trust,” Pezeshkian said. He added that the continuation of “hostile” US measures, including the naval blockade, is “inconsistent with Washington’s stated claims of pursuing a political resolution.”
Pezeshkian stressed that Tehran will not enter imposed negotiations with Washington under “pressure, threats, or blockade.” Hours before the expiration of the two-week ceasefire, Trump unilaterally extended it. He has, however, maintained the blockade until receiving a “unified proposal” from Iran to end the war. Pakistan is making efforts to hold a new round of talks. But Iran says that, in addition to the blockade, US “maximalist, excessive, and unrealistic” demands are also an obstacle.
