US-Iran talks in Islamabad face collapse as Tehran refuses meeting, demands lifting Strait of Hormuz blockade before talks. Photo: X.
US-Iran Talks: In a major development amid rising tensions surrounding diplomatic engagements between Tehran and Washington aimed at achieving a comprehensive resolution to hostilities in West Asia, prospects of peace talks between the two sides in Islamabad are “rapidly fading” as Tehran is still holding back on meeting the travelling US delegation, as per Kamran Khan, chairman of Pakistan-based news outlet ARY News. In a post on X on Saturday, Khan said that informed sources suggest uncertainty over the continuation of the dialogue, which was scheduled to take place in the Pakistani capital this weekend.
“Prospects for the resumption of the second round of U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad today are rapidly fading, as Tehran is still not ready to meet the U.S. delegation, which was expected to arrive late tonight from Washington,” Kahn stated in his post.
He further indicated that Iran has set a firm precondition for resuming negotiations, linked to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil transit route.
According to Khan, the Iranian side insisted that the US should first lift the blockade imposed on Iranian ports by the US Navy in order to hold the second round of negotiations.
“Iran continues to insist that the Americans end their blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as a precondition for opening the second round of negotiations,” the post added.
As per recent development, the US delegation, led by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Senior Adviser and son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, is set to travel to Pakistan for peace talks with Iran.
Earlier on Friday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad, raising prospects of renewed peace talks between Tehran and the United States.
The visit comes after the White House announced that US President Donald Trump will send Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner to Pakistan to engage in talks linked to Tehran, signalling a fresh push for dialogue.
Meanwhile, the city of Islamabad is currently witnessing a “suffocating security lockdown”, with authorities sealing major arterial roads and placing the high-security Red Zone under a “strict cordon”.
In the last round of talks here, which lasted for 21 hours, both sides were not able to find a breakthrough.
US Vice President JD Vance led the delegation from Washington that time, with Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker MB Galibaf leading the side from the Islamic Republic.
(With inputs from ANI)
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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