Iran’s president says no talks without end to US naval blockade, ‘hostile’ actions
The Cradle, April 26, 2026 —
Moscow recently warned that Washington could be using talks as a cover to expand the war and launch ground operations.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on 26 April that there can be no negotiations with the US until Washington lifts its illegal blockade on the country’s ports, making the remarks during a phone call with Pakistan’s prime minister.
“As long as hostile actions and operational pressures by the US persist, rebuilding trust and advancing dialogue will face serious difficulties,” Pezeshkian told Pakistani Premier Shehbaz Sharif.
“Recent US actions, including intensified maritime restrictions against Iran, are major impediments to trust-building and diplomacy. While messages about negotiations are conveyed, the simultaneous escalation of naval blockade and operational pressure undermines the environment needed for mutual trust,” the Iranian president added.
He stressed that “continued hostile measures from the US, including the maritime blockade, contradict Washington’s stated willingness for a political resolution and have increased distrust among the Iranian people and officials.”
Pezeshkian also asserted that “negotiations can yield tangible results only if the other side abandons threats, pressure, and imposition in favor of trust-building and mutual respect.” Hours earlier, Iran’s UN envoy confirmed that no talks will be held without an end to the blockade.
Negotiations have stalled over an ongoing US blockade on Iranian ports and the recent seizure of vessels by Washington, to which Iran retaliated in kind.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is due to arrive in Pakistan on Sunday for the second time during the weekend, after visiting Oman the day before for talks on regional developments and efforts to end the US-Israeli war. The foreign minister is also due to visit Moscow after Islamabad.
Araghchi had held talks with Pakistani officials in Islamabad on Sunday. A Reuters report from 25 April said Tehran refused direct negotiations with Washington and insisted on relaying messages via Pakistan.
Donald Trump then canceled Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s planned visit to the Pakistani capital.
“I said, ‘nope, you’re not making 18-hour flight to go there. We have all the cards. You’re not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing,” he said on Saturday night.
Araghchi said in a statement that evening that he held a “Very fruitful visit to Pakistan, whose good offices and brotherly efforts to bring back peace to our region we very much value.”
“Shared Iran’s position concerning workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran. Have yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy,” Araghchi added.
According to NPR, Araghchi left Islamabad without making any tangible progress in talks with Sharif.
Tehran has continued to insist on the clauses of its 10-point plan, which Washington initially accepted as a “workable basis” before backtracking and imposing a blockade.
The terms include reparations, Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, and a full ceasefire in Lebanon.
Iran has rejected US demands that it hand over all its enriched uranium.
The US military buildup across West Asia remains at an all-time high. The Russian Security Council recently warned that Washington could be using diplomacy as a cover to launch ground operations.
Earlier this month, Trump threatened that “lots of bombs” would “start going off” if a deal is not reached. Israel also said it was awaiting approval to renew strikes against the Islamic Republic.
Over the weekend, the Iranian military warned that any renewed US or Israeli aggression would be met with “even heavier losses.”