Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi outlined Iran's demands and reservations regarding US positions on Saturday as Islamabad hosted a renewed effort to end a conflict that has resulted in thousands of casualties and disrupted global markets. Later that day, he departed the Pakistani capital as prospects for talks with a US delegation appeared increasingly uncertain.
While specific details of the discussions were limited, Araghchi held meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials. On Saturday evening, US President Donald Trump informed Fox News that he had instructed his envoys not to travel to Pakistan for continued negotiations with Iranian officials aimed at ending the war. Trump stated, "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.'"
Washington and Tehran remain at an impasse, with Iran largely closing the Strait of Hormuz—which normally carries one-fifth of global oil shipments—while the US blocks Iran's oil exports.
Iran Sets Out Its 'Principled Positions'
The conflict, currently under a ceasefire, began with US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran on February 28. Iran has since launched strikes against Israel, US bases, and Gulf states, driving energy prices to multi-year highs, fueling inflation, and dimming global growth prospects. Araghchi "explained our country's principled positions regarding the latest developments related to the ceasefire and the complete end of the imposed war against Iran," according to a statement on the minister's official Telegram account. When asked about Tehran's reservations about US positions in the talks, an Iranian diplomatic source in Islamabad told Reuters: "Principally, Iranian side will not accept maximalist demands."
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier told reporters that Iran had an opportunity to secure a "good deal." He said, "Iran knows that they still have an open window to choose wisely. All they have to do is abandon a nuclear weapon in meaningful and verifiable ways." Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on Friday. However, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson posted on X that Iranian officials did not plan to meet US representatives and that Tehran's concerns would be conveyed to mediator Pakistan. Trump told Reuters on Friday that Iran planned to make an offer aimed at satisfying US demands but that he did not know what the offer entailed. He declined to specify who Washington was negotiating with, "but we're dealing with the people that are in charge now." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the US had seen some progress from the Iranian side in recent days and hoped more would come this weekend, while Vice President JD Vance was ready to travel to Pakistan as well.
Ceasefires in Place, Few Ships Crossing Hormuz
Days after Trump extended the ceasefire, international flights resumed from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport on Saturday, Iranian media reported. The first passengers departed for Medina, Muscat, and Istanbul, with operations expected to accelerate in the coming days. "Well, it's a good feeling. When flights resume, trade is done, and people can do their jobs. It's a good feeling," said one passenger at the airport, where queues formed at check-in desks. Iranian airspace has been largely closed since the war began, resulting in tens of thousands of flight cancellations, reroutes, and reschedules worldwide, shutting much of the Middle East's airspace due to missile and drone threats. Trump unilaterally extended a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday to allow more time for negotiators to reconvene.
Oil prices surged this week, with Brent crude futures soaring 16 percent, amid uncertainty over the peace talks and renewed violence in the region. Shipping data on Friday showed that only five ships had crossed the Strait of Hormuz in the previous 24 hours, compared to around 130 per day before the war. The ships included an Iranian oil-products tanker but none of the vast crude-carrying supertankers that normally supply global energy markets. Data analytics firm Vortexa reported 35 total transits through the US blockade from April 13 to 22, involving Iran-linked or sanctioned vessels for inbound and outbound journeys. "The enemy, whose objective of crippling Iran's missile and military capabilities has failed, is now seeking an honorable exit from the quagmire of war," Iranian media quoted a defense ministry spokesperson as saying. "Iran is today in firm control of the Strait of Hormuz." Iranian state TV quoted the country's top military command as reiterating that Iran would react if US forces continued their "blockade and piracy" in the region.
On Thursday, Israel and Lebanon extended their ceasefire for three weeks at a White House meeting brokered by Trump, but there was little sign of an end to the fighting in southern Lebanon. Israel invaded its northern neighbor last month to root out Iran's Hezbollah allies after the militant group fired across the border in support of Iran. Tehran says a ceasefire there is a precondition for talks. Four people were killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday, Lebanon's state news agency reported, and Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel, the Israeli military said, in the latest challenge to the ceasefire there.
