As diplomatic efforts to end the US-Iran conflict continue to lose momentum, US President Donald Trump said Tehran could reach out directly if it wanted talks. This comes after Washington pulled back from its own outreach and cancelled a planned round of negotiations in Pakistan.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Trump said Iran could initiate contact if it wanted to negotiate. “If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us. You know, there is a telephone. We have nice, secure lines,” he said.
At the same time, he made it clear that Washington’s position remains unchanged. “They know what has to be in the agreement. It’s very simple: they cannot have a nuclear weapon, otherwise there’s no reason to meet,” he added. It has been a familiar US red line, even as Tehran continues to assert what it sees as its legitimate right to a nuclear programme.
IRAN FM MEETS ARMY CHIEF MUNIR AFTER RETURNING TO PAK
Amid uncertainty over stalled talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has continued an intense round of diplomacy, moving between key countries in an effort to keep negotiations alive. He arrived in Islamabad for the second time in three days, where he held discussions with Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, focusing on the conflict and possible pathways forward.
Araghchi, who left Islamabad on Saturday after talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Asim Munir and other top officials, came from Oman where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
Iranian media said his talks focused on issues beyond the nuclear programme, including a proposed new legal framework for the Strait of Hormuz, demands for compensation, assurances against any fresh military action, and the removal of US maritime restrictions. After a brief stop in Islamabad, Araqchi was expected to continue his diplomatic tour with a visit to Moscow.
TALKS STALLED AFTER US PULLBACK
Efforts to revive formal negotiations have suffered a setback after Trump cancelled a planned visit by US envoys to Pakistan.
“Iran offered a lot, but not enough,” Trump said, explaining the decision. The 79-year-old said that the 18-hour journey is not worthwhile since the US holds all the cards in the war against the West Asian nation.
“I’ve told my people a little while ago they were getting ready to leave, and I said, ‘Nope, you’re not making an 18-hour flight to go there. We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want, but you’re not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing’,” he said.
Earlier, the first round of talks in Islamabad involving US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian officials had already ended without agreement.
IRAN SEEKS CONCESSIONS
Iran has made it clear it will not negotiate under what it describes as coercive conditions. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would not enter “imposed negotiations” conducted under threats or blockades.
He has called on Washington to remove obstacles, including its maritime restrictions, before any meaningful dialogue can begin. Iran has also linked its own actions in the Strait of Hormuz to US measures, creating a cycle of pressure that has complicated negotiations.
Although a ceasefire has paused large-scale fighting for now, there is still no agreement on how to end the conflict, which began with US-Israeli strikes earlier this year.
