#IranRejectsSecondRoundTalks
Here’s the *IranRejectsSecondRoundTalks* update as of Saturday, April 18, 2026:
*What Iran Said Today*
- *No date set* for the second round of US-Iran talks, per Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh
- *Reason*: Iran wants a “framework of understanding” agreed first. “We don’t want to enter into any negotiation or meeting which is doomed to fail”
- *Sticking point*: Iran refuses to be “an exception from international law” on its nuclear program
- *Red line*: Iran says it won’t accept another temporary ceasefire — wants the Middle East conflict to “end here once and for all”
$*Background on the Talks*
- *First round*: Highest-level US-Iran talks since 1979 ended in Islamabad last weekend without agreement
- *US proposal*: 20-year pause on Iran enriching uranium
- *Iran counter*: 5-year suspension, which the US rejected
- *Next steps*: Trump says there would “probably be more direct talks this weekend,” but diplomats say that’s unlikely given logistics
*Other Developments*
- *Strait of Hormuz*: Iran says passage will be “on the designated route” and with “Iranian authorisation” while the US blockade remains
- *US blockade*: In full force on Iranian ships until a permanent deal is struck
- *Trump vs Ghalibaf*: Iran’s negotiator Mohammed-Bagher Ghalibaf slammed Trump’s ceasefire claims: “all seven of which are false”
*Bottom line*: Talks are stalled. Iran won’t set a date until there’s agreement on basic terms, and the gap on uranium enrichment — 20 years vs 5 years — remains unresolved.
