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Tehran confirms no talks scheduled with Washington, blasts ‘excessive demands’

April 20, 2026

Iranian officials announced on 18 April that they have not agreed to hold a new round of talks with the US to end the war of aggression due to the “excessive demands” from US President Donald Trump.

Citing informed sources, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency said Tehran is unwilling to enter new negotiations with Washington over this posture, including Trump’s Friday announcement that he would maintain a naval blockade on Iran.

Trump’s statement came after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced via social media that the Strait of Hormuz would be “completely open.”

Officials emphasized that accurately assessing the conditions is crucial for ongoing talks; otherwise, there is no reason to enter into “tiring and futile negotiations.”

Iran’s deputy foreign minister affirmed on Saturday that no date has been set for the next round of negotiations and that any new round of talks should not be used as a pretext for the US and Israel to continue the war.

“We are now focusing on finalizing the framework of understanding between the two sides. We don’t want to enter into any negotiation or meeting that is doomed to fail, and which can be a pretext for another round of escalation,” Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters on the sidelines of a diplomacy forum in southern Turkiye.

Iran’s Deputy FM Saeed Khatibzadeh said that talks with the US cannot happen until the two sides agree on a shared ‘framework’.

He stressed that whatever Iran agrees to in negotiations must preserve its rights under international law. pic.twitter.com/ZT2k6Ug0Yd

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 18, 2026

“Until we agree on the framework, we cannot set the date … There was significant progress made, actually. But then the maximalist approach by the other side, trying to make Iran an exception from international law, prevented us from reaching an agreement,” he added.

Khatibzadeh affirmed that Iran would not accept an agreement that does not adhere to international law.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council issued a statement on Saturday regarding negotiations, saying that the US began requesting negotiations on just the 10th day of the war.

It said the US had accepted Iran’s 10-point plan as the framework for negotiations to end the conflict, leading to 21 hours of direct negotiations between the two sides in Pakistan on the 40th day of the war.

However, the talks failed because “the enemy raised new and excessive demands,” and the Iranian delegation took a “firm stance” and made the decision not to compromise on its positions in any way.

The Iranian team decided to postpone talks until “another time when the enemy stops being excessive and amends its demands in accordance with the realities on the ground.”

“We announce that the Iranian negotiating team will not compromise, retreat, or tolerate anything, and will defend with all its might the interests and concerns of the Iranian nation,” the Security Council stated.

Iran agreed to a temporary ceasefire last week on condition of an end to fighting not only in Iran, but also in Lebanon and Iraq.

However, Israel launched a brutal bombing campaign in Lebanon, hitting 100 targets in just ten minutes and killing some 300 people on 9 April.