Iran rejects second round of talks with US

Iran said it would not send its representatives to Islamabad (the capital of Pakistan) for a new round of talks with the United States amid escalating tensions.

This was reported by Al Jazeera.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on April 20 that Washington "violated the ceasefire from the very beginning of its implementation," calling the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has been in place since April 13, and the seizure of an Iranian container ship by the US military overnight a violation of the ceasefire as well as international law.

He warned that if the US and Israel resume aggression, Iranian forces would "respond accordingly," while confirming that Tehran's 10-point proposal submitted before the first round of talks in Islamabad remains the basis for any negotiations.

"The US is not learning from experience, and this will never lead to good results," Baghaei added.

He said Iran had informed Pakistan, the main mediator between the two sides, of the violations. Pakistani officials said they remained cautiously hopeful that they could bring the two sides back to the negotiating table.

US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that his representatives were heading to Pakistan for a second round of talks with Iran as a ceasefire, which was due to expire on Wednesday, nears its end. Trump accompanied his announcement by renewing his threats to bomb Iran's energy and power facilities.

At the same time, Trump said that Vice President JD Vance, who led the US delegation during the first round of talks in Islamabad, would not visit the Pakistani capital this time due to security concerns.

However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later said that Vance would still join the U.S. delegation, along with special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, the same team that led the first round of talks. Also early Monday morning, Trump announced on Truth Social that the U.S. Navy destroyer Spruance had intercepted the Iranian-flagged cargo ship Tuska in the Gulf of Oman after its crew refused to heed warnings to stop.