Trump urges Iran to act quickly on ceasefire plan
US President Donald Trump warned Iran to “get serious” about a deal to end nearly four weeks of conflict, after Iran’s foreign minister said he was reviewing the US proposal but there were no talks on ending the war.
Trump’s comments come as the economic and human toll of the conflict mounts, fuel shortages spread around the world, and companies and countries scramble to contain the disaster.
In his statement to X, Pakistan’s foreign minister said that “indirect talks” between the USA and Iran took place through messages conveyed by Pakistan, and that other countries, including Türkiye and Egypt, also supported mediation efforts.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said this did not mean negotiations.
“Our response to messages transmitted through our friendly countries by stating our positions or making the necessary warnings is not called negotiation or dialogue,” Araqchi said in comments published late Wednesday. he said.
“Our policy at the moment is to continue the resistance and defend the country, we have no intention of negotiating,” he added.
In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said Iran was “militarily destroyed, has zero chance of return” and was “begging” for a deal.
Calling Iranian negotiators “very different and ‘strange’,” he added: “They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty.”
Although Araqchi’s comments indicate some willingness on the part of Iran to negotiate an end to the war if Iran’s demands are met, it is likely that such talks will be very difficult, given the maximalist positions put forward by both sides.
According to sources and reports, the US’s 15-point proposal to end the conflict includes demands ranging from stopping Iran’s nuclear program and taking its missiles under control to the effective transfer of control of the Strait of Hormuz.
There is unnecessary speculation in the media regarding peace talks to end the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. In fact, US-Iran indirect talks are carried out through messages conveyed by Pakistan. In this context, the USA shared 15 points:— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) March 26, 2026
But Iranian sources say Iran has hardened its stance since the start of the war, demanding guarantees against future military action, compensation for losses and formal control of the Bosphorus.
Regional sources also said mediators were told Lebanon must be included in any ceasefire agreement.
While many senior officials were among the thousands of people killed in the Middle East since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, Trump did not specify who the US was negotiating with in Iran.
Iran has since launched attacks on Israel, US bases and Gulf states.
An official from the Iranian embassy in Islamabad said talks in Islamabad were still on the table and Iran’s preferred destination was Pakistan.
On Thursday, Iran fired a wave of missiles at Israel, triggering air raid sirens in Tel Aviv and other areas and injuring at least five people.
In Iran, two young brothers were killed in attacks that hit a residential area in the southern city of Bandar Abbas and a village on the outskirts of the southern city of Shiraz, Iran’s Tasnim news agency said.
It was reported that a university building in Isfahan was hit.
Israel killed the naval commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and left Iran with many more targets because it had weakened its capabilities, Israeli officials said.
Israel removed Araqchi and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqir Qalibaf from its target list after Pakistan called on the United States to pressure Israel not to target potential negotiating partners, a Pakistani source with knowledge of the discussion told Reuters.
“The Israelis had the coordinates and wanted to take them out. We told the US that if they were eliminated, there would be no one else to talk to, so the US asked the Israelis to step back,” the source said.
A senior Israeli defense official said Israel doubts that Iran will accept the terms offered by the United States and is concerned that U.S. negotiators may make concessions.
