On the 30th (local time), Iran said it did not take part in the ceasefire talks in Pakistan and has not held direct negotiations with the United States.
According to Yonhap News Agency and other reports, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei told reporters at a briefing that Pakistan’s regional ceasefire meeting “is being held within a framework Pakistan established on its own,” and that “Iran did not participate.”
He stressed Iran has never conducted direct talks with the U.S. and said the interest of regional states in ending the war is welcome. But he added that any such effort must start with a clear understanding of who initiated the conflict. He said the proposals currently under discussion simply reflect U.S. willingness to negotiate, conveyed through intermediaries.
Baqaei questioned the credibility of U.S. diplomacy, saying, “Even inside the United States, one must ask how seriously it treats its own foreign policy. Unlike counterparts who frequently change positions, Iran’s stance has remained consistent.” He added that Iran’s negotiating principles have been firm from the start and called U.S. demands excessive and unreasonable.
Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, said Pakistan is pleased that both Iran and the U.S. have expressed confidence in Islamabad to help facilitate negotiations. He said Pakistan will host and support meaningful talks between the two sides within days.
Earlier in Islamabad, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt held focused talks on ways to end the war in the Middle East.
Referring to U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Baqaei invoked the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its director general Rafael Grossi. “Under the IAEA charter, such acts call for criminal punishment,” he said, adding that the IAEA and its director-general have shown regrettable indifference. He said the IAEA’s immediate priority should be to formally condemn these acts of aggression.
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