No decision on new talks, says Iran

Iran said it had yet to decide whether to attend a new round of peace negotiations with the United States, as Washington’s delegation departed for Pakistan on Monday. The uncertainty over the talks on ending the war that engulfed the region and rattled global markets came as US President Donald Trump suggested he could resume […]

Iran said it had yet to decide whether to attend a new round of peace negotiations with the United States, as Washington’s delegation departed for Pakistan on Monday.

The uncertainty over the talks on ending the war that engulfed the region and rattled global markets came as US President Donald Trump suggested he could resume attacks should the current temporary ceasefire – now in its final days – lapse.

Since initial talks in Islamabad ended without a deal earlier this month, both sides have accused the other of breaching the truce.

“We have no plans for the next round of negotiation, and no decision has been made in this regard,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Monday.

“The US is carrying out behaviours that do not in any way indicate seriousness in pursuing a diplomatic process,” he added, calling an ongoing US blockade of Iranian ports and its recent seizure of a ship “clear violations of the ceasefire”.

Trump has similarly accused Tehran of violating the truce by harassing vessels in the crucial Strait of Hormuz trade route, which Iran has all but shut.

The US delegation was due to head to Pakistan “soon”, a source familiar with the plan told AFP on Monday, with Trump telling PBS News that Iran was “supposed to be there. We agreed to be there”.

He said that if the ceasefire ended without a peace deal, “then lots of bombs start going off”, separately telling Bloomberg News it was “highly unlikely” he would extend the two-week truce.

Based on its start time, the truce theoretically expires overnight Tuesday, Tehran time, though in his comments to Bloomberg, Trump said the end was a day later, on Wednesday evening Washington time.

Oil prices jumped sharply on Monday over fears hostilities could resume in the weeks-long war, after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again following a brief reopening over the weekend. (AFP)