ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran will not bow to US pressure following inconclusive peace talks mediated by Pakistan, despite signals that dialogue may continue.
Read also: Iran announces toll fee for all vessels passing through Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf declared that Tehran would not yield to threats after US President Donald Trump ordered a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking after returning from Islamabad, Ghalibaf said Iran would respond firmly to aggression but remain open to logical engagement. “If they choose confrontation, we will respond in kind; if they pursue dialogue, we are ready,” he stated.
The first round of direct Iran-US negotiations, hosted by Pakistan, ended early Sunday without any agreement. However, both sides indicated willingness to continue discussions.
Ghalibaf adopted a firm stance, saying the US delegation failed to gain Iran’s trust during the talks. In contrast, Pakistan expressed cautious optimism, with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar hoping for continued engagement toward regional peace.
Despite no breakthrough, neither side declared the talks a failure. US Vice President J.D. Vance said a proposal had been presented to Iran, while Ghalibaf urged Washington to decide its next steps.
Pakistani officials described the discussions as substantive, noting progress but acknowledging deep complexities and persistent disagreements.
The negotiations progressed through multiple stages, including separate meetings with Pakistani leadership — Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Ishaq Dar, and Field Marshal Asim Munir — followed by indirect and direct engagements between delegations.
Key figures included Vance and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, alongside Iran’s Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Expert-level talks addressed economic, legal, and political dimensions.
According to Iran’s Foreign Ministry, discussions covered major issues including the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear policy, sanctions relief, war reparations, and ending hostilities — highlighting both ambition and difficulty.
A central obstacle remained a lack of trust and disagreement over sequencing. The US demanded firm assurances that Iran would not pursue nuclear weapons, while Iran insisted on trust-building measures first.
Iran maintained its right, under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes and proposed limits on stockpiling. The US rejected this, seeking broader restrictions.
Another major dispute involved control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran asserted joint sovereignty with Oman and rejected external enforcement, while the US insisted on unrestricted navigation.
Sanctions relief also proved contentious. The US proposed phased easing tied to compliance, whereas Iran demanded immediate and comprehensive lifting of sanctions and release of frozen assets.
