April 26, 2026, Agency \u2014 Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has voiced dissatisfaction over both Iran\u2019s unmet expectations and the United States\u2019 stance, as Islamabad hosted renewed efforts to end a war that has claimed thousands of lives and disrupted global markets.<\/p>\n
Although details of the discussions were not widely disclosed, Araghchi held meetings with Pakistan\u2019s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials. The White House had earlier announced that President Donald Trump\u2019s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner would travel to Islamabad on Saturday. However, the visit was canceled after Iran rejected a new round of direct negotiations.<\/p>\n
The standoff between Washington and Tehran continues to escalate. Iran has effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz\u2014a vital route carrying nearly one-fifth of the world\u2019s oil supply\u2014while the United States has imposed a ban on Iranian oil exports.<\/p>\n
Now entering its ninth week, the conflict has seen President Trump extend a ceasefire that began on June 24. The war has driven energy prices to multi-year highs, fueling inflation and weakening global economic growth prospects.<\/p>\n
\u201cAraghchi clarified our country\u2019s principled position regarding recent developments related to the ceasefire and the complete end of the imposed war against Iran,\u201d a statement on the minister\u2019s official Telegram channel said.<\/p>\n
When asked about Tehran\u2019s dissatisfaction with U.S. positions during the talks, an Iranian diplomatic source in Islamabad told Reuters that \u201cthe Iranian side will not accept maximalist demands.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said there remains an opportunity to reach a favorable agreement with Iran. \u201cIran knows it still has a chance to make a reasonable choice,\u201d he said, adding that Tehran must abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions in a meaningful and verifiable manner.<\/p>\n
Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on Friday. However, a spokesperson for Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry posted on X that there are no plans for Iranian officials to meet U.S. representatives, and that Tehran\u2019s concerns would instead be conveyed through mediator Pakistan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
April 26, 2026, Agency \u2014 Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has voiced dissatisfaction over both Iran\u2019s unmet expectations and the United States\u2019 stance, as Islamabad […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[108,3,93],"tags":[],"trend":[],"class_list":["post-5307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","category-politics","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n