Tehran, Apr 13: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Sunday said “zero lessons earned” after hours of negotiations between the United States and Iran held in Pakistan under the “Islamabad MoU” ended in a stalemate, despite reports of being close to a breakthrough.
He said Iran engaged in the talks in good faith but faced “maximalism, shifting goalposts and blockade” from the US side, which ultimately led to the collapse of the negotiations.
In a post on X, Araghchi wrote, “In intensive talks at the highest level in 47 years, Iran engaged with the US in good faith to end the war. But when just inches away from ‘Islamabad MoU’, we encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade. Zero lessons earned. Good will begets goodwill. Enmity begets enmity.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that recent threats issued by US President Donald Trump have “no effect on the Iranian nation,” while indicating cautious progress in ongoing diplomatic engagement with Washington.
According to Iranian state media reports cited by Al Jazeera, Ghalibaf said Tehran had presented “very good initiatives” during the talks, helping move the dialogue forward.
He warned the US against pressure tactics, saying, “Trump’s recent threats have no effect on the Iranian nation,” adding, “If you fight, we will fight, and if you come forward with logic, we will deal with logic.”
He further said, “We will not bow to any threats; let them test our will once again so that we can teach them a bigger lesson,” reaffirming Iran’s firm stance against external pressure.
The remarks came after marathon negotiations between the US and Iran in Islamabad ended without an agreement on Sunday.
US Vice President JD Vance said no deal was reached despite extensive discussions, adding that the US delegation would return home without an agreement.
“We’ve had a number of substance agreements with the Iranians — that is the good news. The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement. That is bad news for Iran, much more than it is bad news for the United States of America,” Vance said.
He added, “We go back to the United States having not come to an agreement,” after nearly 21 hours of talks involving multiple rounds of discussions. (Agency)
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