Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister: "No Date Set for Second Talks With U.S.; Focused on Finalizing Agreement Framework" (Comprehensive)

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh stated that a date has not yet been set for the second round of negotiations with the United States.

On April 18 (local time), Deputy Minister Khatibzadeh attended the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF) held in Türkiye and said, "We cannot set a date for the second round of negotiations until we reach a consensus on the framework of the agreement."

He added, "We are currently focused on finalizing the framework of the agreement between both sides," emphasizing, "We do not wish to participate in any negotiations or talks that are bound to fail and could serve as another pretext for heightened tensions."

Tasnim News, which represents the positions of Iran's hardliners and military, also reported on the same day that "due to U.S. President Donald Trump's anti-Iran maritime blockade and the excessive demands revealed in negotiations that continued until recently, Iran has not agreed to further talks for now."

The outlet further reported, "Iran stressed that the United States refraining from excessive demands is a key condition for continuing negotiations," adding, "If not, Iran will not waste time on negotiations that are unnecessarily prolonged." It was added that this position was conveyed to U.S. officials through Pakistan, the intermediary country.

Meanwhile, regarding the second round of negotiations, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported the previous day, citing a senior official from the Trump Administration, that there is a high possibility the meeting will be held in Pakistan on April 20. There have also been reports that a venue is being prepared in Pakistan.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.