Is Iran refusing to negotiate with the U.S. in Pakistan? Iran's foreign minister angrily criticizes U.S. media for "distorting the stance"

Does the AI Deadlock Between Iran and the U.S. Relate to Security Concerns?

On April 4, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghazi said on a social media platform, “American media is distorting Iran’s position.” He expressed deep gratitude for Pakistan’s efforts, and did not reject the proposal to go to Islamabad for negotiations. He also said, “What we truly care about is how to reach relevant terms to fully and permanently end this illegal war.”

Earlier that same day, the U.S. media outlet The Wall Street Journal reported that, it learned from the mediators, the mediation efforts led by Pakistan—aimed at bringing about a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran—have reached a deadlock. The outlet reported that Iran has officially informed the mediators that it does not want to travel to Islamabad to meet with U.S. officials in the coming days, and believes the U.S. side’s demands are unacceptable.

However, on the other hand, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper also reported that a senior Pakistani official said that only Iran’s agreement remains before negotiations can begin. The official said that all parties had discussed potential negotiation frameworks and indicated that Islamabad could be one of the negotiation locations.

Meanwhile, Iranian officials told Dawn, “The conditions proposed by the U.S., or the so-called 15-point plan, are really difficult to accept.” He said that Iran’s top priority at present is the war, not negotiations. In addition, he pointed out that Iran has deep distrust of the U.S. “The U.S.’s recent military deployments in the region do not match its stated intention to advance negotiations, so Iran has absolutely no confidence in the U.S.,” he said.

At the same time, the Iranian official said that former foreign minister Kamel Harrazi, who was originally scheduled to be part of the negotiating team, was attacked; former Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani—who had also worked to ease tensions—was assassinated as well. He said Iran is concerned that anyone participating in the negotiations could become a target of attack.

Despite this, the official still praised Pakistan’s efforts, saying, “The leaders of Pakistan are undoubtedly doing everything they can to end hostilities.”

Notably, later on the evening of the 4th, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement denying the claims: “We have noted several reports in the media (including on social media) that cite so-called official government sources regarding ongoing conflict in the Middle East and Pakistan’s efforts to promote peace and dialogue. We categorically reject these false insinuations attributed to so-called official sources, believing them to be baseless and purely imaginative. Any references to official sources in this regard are incorrect.”

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