Iran is said to have “no plans to participate” in any additional peace negotiations with the US after Donald Trump warned that “the whole country is going to get blown up” if no agreement is reached.
A two-week ceasefire between Iran and the US is due to expire on Tuesday. Recent discussions held in Pakistan ended without a deal being secured.
US Vice President JD Vance led the American delegation during the talks, and the Strait of Hormuz had been expected to return to normal operations.
But tensions have escalated, with Iran accusing the US of violating the ceasefire. The dispute follows Trump’s announcement on Sunday that an Iranian cargo vessel attempting to pass through a US blockade at Hormuz had been taken.
“We have full custody of their ship, and are seeing what’s on board,” Trump wrote on social media.
In a subsequent Truth Social post on Sunday, the president also threatened to target Iranian infrastructure.
He penned: “We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”
While US officials are expected to travel to Pakistan on Monday for further talks, Tehran has reportedly made clear it will not be present.
After the episode in the Strait of Hormuz, an Iranian military spokesperson told state media: “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.”
The spokesperson added that Iran has ‘currently no plans to participate in the next round’ of negotiants with the US.
“Iran stated that its absence from the second round of talks stemmed from what it called Washington’s excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the continuing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire,” IRNA news agency stated.
In the run-up to the planned Pakistan discussions, Trump also spoke to Fox News and delivered a blunt warning to Tehran.
“If they don’t sign this deal, the whole country is going to get blown up,” the president insisted.
Trump also reiterated an earlier threat that the US would knock out Iran’s power plants and bridges if an agreement is not reached.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, are expected to be involved in this week’s talks. However, Trump told MS Now that Vance would not attend due to ‘security reasons’.