Monday, 20/04/2026   
   Beirut 13:29

Araghchi: US Diplomacy Driven by Bad Faith

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the United States pursues malicious goals and lacks the necessary seriousness in its engagement with the Islamic Republic.

Araghchi made the remark in a phone conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Muhammad Ishaq Dar on Sunday amid reports that Islamabad will host a second round of negotiations between Iran and the US within the next few days.

US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he was sending a delegation to the Pakistani capital for talks with Iran, as a two-week ceasefire between Tehran and Washington is set to expire on April 22. However, he renewed his threats against Iran, saying the US would attack Iranian power plants and bridges if no agreement is reached.

Iran has yet to confirm whether it will send a delegation to Pakistan for the talks, as the excessive US demands, shifting positions, a naval blockade of Iranian ports, and constant threats have hindered progress in the negotiations.

Araghchi told the Pakistani foreign minister that violations of the ceasefire agreement, threats to Iranian ports, coasts, and vessels, threatening rhetoric, unreasonable demands, and continuous contradictory remarks are clear signs of the US malice and lack of seriousness in diplomacy.

He, however, added that Iran would make use of its utmost capacities to safeguard national interests and security.

He hailed Pakistan’s mediation in the talks to establish a ceasefire and end the US-Israeli war against the Islamic Republic, emphasizing that Tehran always enters diplomatic processes with a responsible approach.

Araghchi said the US has not been committed to a diplomatic process over the past year as it waged acts of aggression against Iran in June 2025 and late in February 2026 as Tehran was in the midst of talks with Washington over its peaceful nuclear program.

On April 8, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) announced that there was an agreement to a Pakistan-brokered temporary ceasefire after the US accepted Iran’s 10-point proposal.

Senior Iranian and American negotiators held approximately 21 hours of talks in Islamabad on April 11 without an agreement, with Iranian officials citing excessive US demands and shifting positions as the reasons behind the failure of the talks.

The Pakistani foreign minister, for his part, elaborated on his country’s efforts to put an end to the war and establish peace in the region and expressed Islamabad’s readiness to hold more consultations in this regard.

Earlier on Sunday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a 45-minute phone conversation with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, saying Islamabad will remain fully committed to its efforts to promote peace and security in the region with the support of its friends and partners.

The Pakistani prime minister briefed the Iranian president on his recent meetings with authorities of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey and said such interactions have been very useful in building consensus in support of a sustainable process of dialogue and diplomacy with the purpose of establishing durable peace in the war-torn region.

Source: Press tv