Iran said no specific date has been fixed for a new round of talks with the United States, but signalled that diplomatic contacts remain active through Pakistani mediation following the collapse of recent negotiations in Islamabad. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said reports of a ceasefire extension could not be confirmed and cautioned that it was still unclear how serious Washington was about diplomacy.
“Regarding the speculations about the extension of the ceasefire and these discussions, none of them can be confirmed,” Baghaei said, according to multiple reports. He added that talks were continuing through the Pakistani mediator and that “it remains to be seen how serious the other side is” about its diplomatic claims. Reuters separately reported that no date had been set for the next round of negotiations and that both sides remained divided on key issues.
Baghaei also restated Iran’s nuclear position, saying Tehran has never pursued anything beyond a peaceful nuclear programme. He accused U.S. officials of bad faith for refusing to acknowledge that stance and said Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy was not negotiable, even if it remained open to discussing the parameters of uranium enrichment. Reuters has reported that nuclear issues remain one of the biggest obstacles to a broader deal, with Iran unwilling to surrender its enrichment capability and the United States pressing for stronger guarantees.
Responding to recent remarks by U.S. Vice President JD Vance about helping Iran prosper and integrate into the global economy, Baghaei said Iran was capable of achieving development through its own efforts. He added that countries which had recently threatened to send Iran “back to the Stone Age” were in no position to lecture Tehran about growth after damaging its infrastructure during weeks of conflict. That rhetoric reflects the depth of mistrust that still surrounds the diplomacy, even as both sides leave the door open to more talks.
The current ceasefire began on April 8 after nearly 40 days of fighting, but its future remains uncertain. Talks in Islamabad ended without a deal last weekend, though Pakistan has continued shuttle diplomacy and may send another delegation to Tehran in an effort to revive negotiations. For now, the process remains alive but fragile, with no timetable for a breakthrough and major differences still unresolved.
