Iran has made clear that no date has been set for the next round of high-stakes negotiations with the United States, as Tehran insists on finalising a framework of understanding before any further face to face meetings can proceed. Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh delivered the message from the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in southern Turkey on Saturday, explaining that Tehran will not be rushed into talks that are destined to fail. "Until we agree on the framework, we cannot set the date," Khatibzadeh told journalists, according to multiple news reports. "Now we are focusing on finalising the framework of understanding between the two sides. We don't want to enter into any negotiation or meeting which is doomed to fail and which can be a pretext for another round of escalation." The Iranian diplomat's remarks came just over a week after the highest-level US-Iran talks since the 1979 Islamic Revolution concluded in Islamabad without an agreement, leaving both sides to reassess their positions. From Tehran's perspective, rushing into another round of negotiations without a clear, mutually agreed foundation would be an exercise in futility, serving only to give Washington another opportunity to impose its will rather than engage in genuine diplomacy. Khatibzadeh reiterated that Iran remains "very much committed to diplomacy," but stressed that the other side must "abandon its maximalist position" and respect international law to ensure "results-oriented" diplomacy.
The primary obstacle to progress, according to Tehran, is Washington's insistence on what Iranian officials describe as a "maximalist approach" that seeks to make Iran an exception from international law. Khatibzadeh revealed that while significant progress was made during the initial Islamabad talks, the breakthrough was blocked by unreasonable US demands, particularly regarding Iran's nuclear programme. "There was significant progress made actually. But then the maximalist approach by the other side, trying to make Iran an exception from international law prevented us to reach an agreement," he explained. The United States reportedly proposed a 20-year suspension of all Iranian nuclear activity, while Iran suggested a halt of three to five years, a significant compromise that still failed to satisfy Washington's appetite for sweeping concessions. Khatibzadeh made Iran's position unequivocally clear: "I have to be very crystal clear that Iran would not accept to be an exception from the international law. Anything that we are going to be committed will be within the international regulations and international law." He further elaborated that Iran operates under the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, adding: "We do have responsibilities and we do have rights." The Iranian official also firmly rejected President Donald Trump's claim that Iran had agreed to transfer its enriched uranium to the United States, calling it a "non-starter" and stating: "I can tell you that no enriched material is going to be shipped to United States."
The diplomatic impasse has been further complicated by the volatile situation in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran's temporary reopening of the waterway was met not with reciprocity but with continued American aggression. After Iran announced it would allow the safe passage of commercial vessels in line with a US-brokered 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, Washington responded by declaring that the strait would remain open "except for Iranians" a move that Tehran viewed as a direct violation of the truce's terms. "The other side, the American side, tried to sabotage that by saying that it is open except for Iranians," Khatibzadeh said. "So that was the reason we said that 'if you are going to violate the ceasefire terms and conditions, if Americans are not going to honour their words, there will be repercussions for them'." Iran's central military command subsequently announced on Saturday that it would resume "strict management" of the strait, reversing the decision to unblock the strategic channel. In a statement shared on state television, the headquarters said Washington had broken a promise by continuing its naval blockade of ships sailing to and from Iran's ports, declaring that until the United States restores freedom of movement for all vessels visiting Iran, "the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain strictly controlled." Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf reinforced the warning on X, writing: "With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open."
The uncertainty surrounding the next round of talks has been compounded by contradictory reports emerging from various sources. While US media outlets, citing Iranian sources, reported that a second round of negotiations was expected to take place in Islamabad on Monday, 20 April, Khatibzadeh's comments suggest that no such meeting has been confirmed by Tehran. Pakistani government sources have indicated that technical-level teams from both sides could meet as early as Monday, but the Iranian deputy foreign minister's insistence on finalising a framework first casts doubt on the likelihood of substantive progress. Pakistan's military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has been actively shuttling between Tehran and Washington, holding meetings with Iranian civil and military leadership this week in an effort to keep the diplomatic channel alive. Egypt and Turkey have joined Pakistan's mediation efforts, with Egypt's foreign minister telling journalists at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum that Cairo is working "very hard" to help bring about "a final agreement between the United States and Iran," expressing hope that a deal could be reached "in the coming days." President Trump, for his part, has suggested that he might travel to Islamabad for a signing ceremony if an agreement is reached, telling reporters: "I would go to Pakistan, yeah. Pakistan has been great..." However, Trump has also warned that the current ceasefire could collapse within days if a long-term deal is not secured by Wednesday, making it clear that the US naval blockade on Iranian ports will remain "in full force" and that military strikes may resume if diplomacy breaks down.