He said that US proposals have been “unserious” and its demands “unrealistic”, adding that Tehran has clearly stated their demands and won’t change them.
Tehran: No Plans Yet For Further Talks
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei stated on Monday that Tehran currently has no plans for a subsequent round of negotiations. pic.twitter.com/476CuTy1cN
— Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) April 20, 2026
“We do not believe in deadlines or ultimatums when it comes to safeguarding Iran’s national interests.”
On the topic of nuclear stockpiles, Baghaei said that removing the stockpile was “never an option in negotiations” as “Tehran’s definitive position is to preserve nuclear achievements within its territory.”
Baghaei stated that the US has violated talks and negotiations twice, attacked Iran, killed Iranian people and attacked infrastructure, according to Al Jazeera.
Differences over Iran’s nuclear programme still remain, a senior Iranian source told Reuters on Monday, as Iran and the United States try to reach a lasting peace with the two-week ceasefire ending soon.
The senior Iranian source said that Tehran’s “defensive capabilities”, including its missile programme, are not open to negotiation with the United States.
“Continuation of the US blockade on the Strait of Hormuz undermines the peace talks,” the source said.
Regarding the targeting of an Indian vessel, Baghaei stated that the Iranian institutions are investigating whether it was targeted by Iran’s forces.
Iranian armed forces ready to confront US aggression
The Iran armed forces spokesperson said the forces were ready to confront the US after “aggression” against their vessel, according to state media.
They stated that their response was delayed due to presence of crew families on board the vessel, and that they have to ensure the safety of the crew and their families.
Concerns grew on Monday that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran might not hold after the US said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Iran vowed to retaliate.
Efforts to build a more lasting peace in the region likewise appeared to be on shaky ground, as Iran said it would not participate in a second round of negotiations that the US had hoped to kick off before the ceasefire expires on Tuesday.
The US has maintained a blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran has lifted and then reimposed its own blockade on marine traffic passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.
Read: Trump sends negotiators for Islamabad Round 2
The US military said it fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship headed towards Iran’s Bandar Abbas port on Sunday after a six-hour standoff, disabling its engines.
US Marines then rappelled from helicopters onto the vessel, US Central Command said.
“We have full custody of their ship, and are seeing what’s on board!” President Trump wrote on social media.
Iran’s military said the ship had been travelling from China. “We warn that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon respond and retaliate against this armed piracy by the US military,” a military spokesperson said, according to state media.
China has expressed concern over the “forced interception” by the US of the cargo ship, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday, urging relevant parties to abide by the ceasefire agreement in a responsible manner.
“The situation in the Strait of Hormuz is sensitive and complicated,” said spokesman Guo Jiakun during a regular press briefing. Parties involved should avoid further escalation and “create the necessary conditions for normal transit through the Strait to resume,” he added.
The US earlier on Monday said it fired on and seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade of Iranian ports. Iran’s military said the ship had been travelling from China and vowed retaliation against what it called “armed piracy by the US military.”
Oil prices jumped, and stock markets wobbled, as traders pondered the prospect that traffic in and out of the Gulf would remain at a bare minimum.
Read more: Pakistan role averted oil shock: Iqbal
After a slower start, the S&P 500’s advance from the US-Iran war low has caught up with the scale of the rebound from the 2025 tariff-driven selloff low.
‘What Trump could not achieve in war, he will not achieve in negotiations’: Iran envoy
According to Al Jazeera, Iran’s Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali has said the US and Israel have failed in their attacks on Iran, and warned that Washington will not fare better at the negotiating table.
“They stated that they could conquer all of Iran in a few days and carry out regime change,” Jalali said in an interview with Russian newspaper Vedomosti. “Question: in which of their tasks have they achieved success? Not in one. The attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel have failed.”
He noted that US demands had shifted dramatically over the course of the conflict. “At first they wanted regime change, but they got to the point where they only wanted to open the Strait of Hormuz. It fails. And the naval blockade he announced does not make any sense, because we have an iron will for further actions.”
Jalali said the war had in fact strengthened Iranian resolve rather than weakened it, Al Jazeera.
US brinkmanship, Iran rejects peace talks
Iranian state media reported that Tehran had rejected new peace talks, citing the ongoing blockade, threatening rhetoric, and Washington’s shifting positions and “excessive demands.”
“One cannot restrict Iran’s oil exports while expecting free security for others,” Iran’s First Vice President Mohammadreza Aref wrote on social media. “The choice is clear: either a free oil market for all, or the risk of significant costs for everyone.”
Trump earlier threatened Iran that the US would destroy essential civilian infrastructure such as every bridge and power plant in Iran if Tehran rejected his terms, continuing a recent pattern of such threats.
Iran has said that if the United States were to attack its civilian infrastructure, it would hit power stations and desalination plants of Gulf Arab neighbours.
Israeli military warns Lebanese people not to return to border villages
The Israeli military has warned people in southern Lebanon not to move south of a specified line of villages or approach areas near the Litani River, saying its forces remain deployed in the area, reported Al Jazeera.
The villages are Beit Siyad Farm, Majdal Zun, Zabqin, Yatar, Sarbin, Hula, Beit Yahun, Shaqra, Majdal Salm, Qabriqa, Farun, Zutr al-Gharbiyya, Yahmar al-Shaqif, Arnun, Deir Mimas, Marjayoun, Aabbel al-Saqi, Al-Mari, Kfar Shouba, Ain Qana and Ain Atta.
Military spokesperson Avichay Adraee also urged civilians not to return to dozens of border villages in southern Lebanon.
A 10-day US-brokered ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel started on April 16.
Iran says it will use ‘all capabilities’ to defend national interests against US threats
Iran said Monday that it will use “all capabilities” to defend its national interests and security against what it described as growing US threats.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a phone call with his counterpart Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar that recent US threats against Iranian ports, coasts and vessels coupled with what he called contradictory and unreasonable demands showed that Washington is not serious about diplomacy.
According to a statement carried by state-run Press TV, Araghchi accused the US of repeatedly breaching understandings reached over the past year.
He cited what he described as US military aggression against Iran during negotiations in March and June 2025 as well as recent violations of the ceasefire between the US and Iran mediated by Pakistan.
“These are clear signs of ill intentions and a lack of seriousness in diplomacy,” Araghchi said.
He added that Iran “will use all its capabilities to safeguard the country’s interests and national security.”
Preparing for talks that might not happen
Trump said his envoys would arrive in Islamabad on Monday evening, one day before a two-week ceasefire ends.
A White House official told Reuters the US delegation would be headed by Vice President JD Vance, who led the war’s first peace talks a week ago, and also include Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. But Trump told ABC News and MS Now that Vance would not go.
Pakistan, which has served as the main mediator, appeared to be preparing for the talks. Two giant US C-17 cargo planes landed at an air base on Sunday afternoon, carrying security equipment and vehicles in preparation for the US delegation’s arrival, two Pakistani security sources said.
Municipal authorities in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad halted public transport and heavy-goods traffic through the city. Barbed wire was rolled out near the Serena Hotel, where last week’s talks were held. The hotel told all guests to leave.
Now in its eighth week, the war has created the most severe shock to global energy supplies in history, sending oil prices surging because of the de facto closure of the strait.
Thousands of people have been killed by US-Israeli strikes on Iran and in an Israeli invasion of Lebanon conducted in parallel since the war began on February 28. Iran responded to the attacks with missiles and drones against Israeli and nearby Arab countries that host US bases.
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who has led Iran’s side in the talks, had earlier said the two sides had made progress but were still far apart on nuclear issues and the Strait.
European allies, repeatedly criticised by Trump for not aiding his war effort, worry that Washington’s negotiating team is pushing for a swift, superficial deal that would require months or years of technically complex follow‑on talks.
Now in its eighth week, the war has created the most severe shock to global energy supplies in history, sending oil prices surging because of the de facto closure of the strait.
Thousands of people have been killed by US-Israeli strikes on Iran and in an Israeli invasion of Lebanon conducted in parallel since the war began on February 28.
Iran responded to the attacks with missiles and drones against Israeli and nearby Arab countries that host US bases.
Iran executed two men convicted of cooperating with Israel’s Mossad intelligence service and planning attacks inside the country, the judiciary’s news outlet Mizan reported on Sunday.