Middle East Crisis Peace Talks

Iran: No New Talks Until US Lifts Blockade

Iran will not send a delegation to Pakistan for continued peace talks until the US lifts its blockade of Iranian ports. This is what the head of the Iranian delegation, Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, told the AP.

– We do not negotiate under threat.

Ferdousi Pour accuses the US of exploiting the ceasefire to build up its military capabilities for new attacks on Iran.

– Behind the scenes, they say one thing, but officially they say and do something else.

Frustration in closed-off Islamabad after postponed talks: “My time is being wasted”

Residents of Pakistan's Islamabad express frustration after US President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire in Iran and thereby postponed new peace talks.

AFP paints a picture of a locked-down capital with strict security restrictions that are having an impact on ordinary people. Roads and some areas are completely closed, leading to work from home for adults and online education for children.

“Children cannot go to school and shops are closed. Personally, I find it very annoying. My time is being wasted,” says 27-year-old Zainab Ali Uthmankhail, who also adds that Pakistan is doing “something positive” by hosting the talks.

35-year-old jewelry store owner Muhammad Ahsan says the lockdown has had an impact on his business.

“The consequence of the lockdown is that we are not getting any customers. The government does not understand what a single day of their lockdown does to our households.”

The talks in Islamabad were scheduled for today – but now no new date has been set.