Iran says no deal expected in single session after US talks stall

TEHRAN: Iran's foreign ministry said no one had held any expectation that talks with the United States could have reached an agreement within one session after the marathon negotiations in Islamabad stalled on Sunday (Apr 12).

"Naturally, from the beginning we should not have expected to reach an agreement in a single session. No one had such an expectation," ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said, according to state broadcaster IRIB.

The ministry added that negotiations with the US fell apart over a “gap between our opinions over two or three important issues”.

“Ultimately the talks didn’t result in an agreement,” spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told state TV without detailing what those issues were.

On some topics, Baghaei said US and Iranian negotiators “actually reached mutual understanding". 

The negotiators discussed the Strait of Hormuz, but did not mention discussion of nuclear weapons.

Baghaei added Tehran was "confident that contacts between us and Pakistan, as well as our other friends in the region, will continue".

Pakistan's foreign minister urged Washington and Tehran to uphold a ceasefire after talks to end the Middle East war ended without a deal.

"It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to ceasefire," said Ishaq Dar, whose government hosted the talks and acted as a mediator.

"Pakistan has been and will continue to play its role to facilitate engagement and dialogue between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America in the days to come," he said in a brief statement broadcast by state media. 

Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who was part of peace talks with the United States this weekend, said in a post on X that Washington was "unable" to win Tehran's trust during the discussions.

"My colleagues in the Iranian delegation ... put forward constructive initiatives but ultimately the other side was unable to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations," Ghalibaf said. 

The US had said on Tuesday it would pause attacks with Israel for two weeks pending negotiations.

"DISAPPOINTING" NO BREAKTHROUGH IN IRAN WAR TALKS

The United Kingdom and Australia have remarked that it was "disappointing" that negotiations between the US and Iran have stalled. 

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called for a continuation of the Middle East ceasefire, saying: "The priority now must be to continue the ceasefire and return to negotiations." 

She added it was "disappointing that the Islamabad talks between the United States and Iran have ended without agreement".

Meanwhile, UK government minister Wes Streeting said on Sunday that it was "disappointing" that negotiations between the two countries have stalled. 

"It's obviously disappointing that we haven't yet seen a breakthrough in negotiations and an end to this war in Iran that is a sustainable one," Streeting told Sky News.

"As ever in diplomacy, you're failing until you succeed. So while these talks may not have ended in success, (it) doesn't mean there isn't merit in continuing to try," the health minister added.