Tehran, Apr 18 (EFE).- Iran has not accepted a new round of negotiations with the United States, citing what it described as “excessive demands” from Washington and the ongoing US naval blockade, the Tasnim news agency reported Saturday, quoting an anonymous Iranian source.
“Iran has emphasized that the absence of excessive demands from the United States is a key condition for continuing negotiations. Otherwise, it is unwilling to waste time on prolonged and fruitless talks,” the source told Tasnim, which is affiliated with Iran’s elite military force, the Revolutionary Guards.
According to the report, Tehran conveyed this position to US authorities through Pakistan, which has been acting as an intermediary between the two countries.
The reported decision follows remarks by US President Donald Trump late Friday indicating that the blockade of Iranian ports would continue, despite Tehran’s announcement a day earlier that it was reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also raised the possibility of jointly entering Iran to extract enriched uranium using excavators, a proposal rejected by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Bagaei in an interview with state television.
In response, Iran’s Armed Forces announced Saturday that they had reimposed “strict control” over the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime route through which around 20% of global oil shipments pass.
“Control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state, and this strategic route is under strict management and control by the Armed Forces,” Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfagari, spokesperson for the Central Headquarters of Khatam al-Anbiya, said in a statement reported by the Tasnim news agency.
Earlier Saturday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned on X that the strait “will not remain open” if the US blockade continues.
Iran’s decision to halt progress toward new talks also comes after a three-day visit to Tehran by Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir, who called for de-escalation and dialogue just four days before the expiration of the Iran-US ceasefire.
The previous round of negotiations, held last weekend in Islamabad, ended without agreement, according to Tehran, due to differences over Iran’s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz, and other issues. EFE
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