Iran says no to ‘maximalist demands’, peace talks begin
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi laid out Iran’s demands and reservations about US positions at a time when Islamabad is hosting a new push to end a war that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets.
Araqchi met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials, although details of the talks were scarce. The White House had previously announced that President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner would travel to the Pakistani capital on Saturday, but Iran has so far ruled out a new round of direct talks.
Washington and Tehran are at an impasse because Iran has largely blocked the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries a fifth of global oil shipments, and the United States has blocked Iran’s oil exports.
The conflict, for which a ceasefire is currently in effect, began with US-Israeli air strikes on Iran on February 28. Iran has since launched attacks on Israel, US bases and Gulf states, and the war has driven energy prices to the highest levels in decades, fueling inflation and dimming global growth prospects.
In the statement made on the minister’s official Telegram account, it was stated that Arakchi “explained our country’s principled stance regarding the latest developments regarding the ceasefire and the complete end of the war imposed against Iran.”
“The Iranian side will not accept essentially maximalist demands,” an Iranian diplomatic source in Islamabad told Reuters when asked about Tehran’s reservations about the US stance in the talks.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously told reporters that Iran had a chance to get a “good deal”.
“Iran knows they still have an open window to choose wisely,” he said.
“All they have to do is give up nuclear weapons in meaningful and verifiable ways.”
Araqchi arrived in Islamabad on Friday. However, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said on channel X that Iranian officials did not plan to meet with US representatives and that Tehran’s concerns would be conveyed to mediator Pakistan.
Trump told Reuters on Friday that Iran was planning to make an offer aimed at meeting U.S. demands, but he did not know what the offer meant. He declined to say who Washington was negotiating with, “but we are dealing with the people who are in charge right now.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the United States has seen some progress from Iran in recent days and hopes for more to come this weekend, with Vice President J.D. Vance also set to travel to Pakistan.
Iranian media said international flights resumed on Saturday from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport, just days after Trump extended the ceasefire.
Iranian airspace has been largely closed since the beginning of the war. Tens of thousands of flights around the world have been cancelled, rerouted and rescheduled; Much of the Middle East’s airspace has been closed due to missile and drone threats.
Trump unilaterally extended the ceasefire by two weeks on Tuesday to give negotiators more time to reconvene.
Oil prices rose this week; Brent crude oil futures rose 16 percent as uncertainty over the fate of peace talks and violence flared in the region.
Shipping data on Friday showed five ships had passed the Strait of Hormuz in the last 24 hours, compared to about 130 ships a day before the war. The ships included an Iranian oil products tanker but none of the supertankers that normally carry the massive crude oil that fuels global energy markets.
“Having failed in its goal to cripple Iran’s missile and military capabilities, the enemy is now seeking an honorable exit from the swamp of war,” Iranian media quoted a defense ministry spokesman as saying.
“Iran today maintains firm control of the Strait of Hormuz.”
Iranian state television reported that the country’s top military command reiterated that Iran would react if US forces continue the “blockade and piracy” in the region.
