After a 15-day ceasefire during the US-Israel-Iran war, the agreement talks (to stop the war) between US and Iranian leaders in Islamabad broke down midway.
SNPNEWS.IN News (Gurmail Kamboj): The United States and Israel jointly attacked Iran from February 28 to April 7, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with 40-50 other leaders, more than 150 schoolchildren, and thousands of people in total. In response, Iran carried out large-scale bombings on energy production plants in Gulf countries and Israel, and closed the Strait of Hormuz, which caused an energy shortage across the world. Despite continuous attacks and threats from the US and Israel, Iran refused to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. After this, the US President announced a 15-day ceasefire and called for agreement talks to be held in Islamabad on March 11.
Experts around the world had already started expressing doubts about the US-Iran ceasefire by April 8 itself, because just a few hours after US President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire, Israel carried out heavy airstrikes in Beirut, Tyre, and several areas of southern Lebanon. On April 8 alone, these attacks in Lebanon resulted in the deaths of more than 350 people. Recently, the Israeli army has surrounded the city of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon and intensified its ground offensive there.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has clearly stated that although he supports the two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, Lebanon is not part of this agreement. According to his statement, Israel will continue its military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon “with full force.”
In response to Israel’s actions in Lebanon, Iranian officials have claimed that the Strait of Hormuz is still under their control. They have said they will not reopen it until Israel stops its attacks on Iranian allies and proxies.
In this atmosphere of high tension, a large US delegation including Vice President J.D. Vance, President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, and senior advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner, along with more than 300 American officials, held continuous talks for 21 hours on April 11 at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, with an Iranian delegation. The Iranian side included Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (Speaker of the Iranian Parliament/Majlis and chief negotiator), Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Baghaei, along with 70-80 officials.
Agreement was reached on most points between the two sides, but the talks broke down midway because Israel refused to stop its attacks on Lebanon and Iranian-backed groups, and because the US and Israel refused to recognize Iran’s nuclear program.
After the Islamabad talks, US Vice President J.D. Vance adopted an extremely hardline stance toward Iran. He made it clear that the United States would not show any softness at any cost. Vance said that Iran was only wasting time instead of engaging in meaningful dialogue. He accused the Iranian delegation of not being serious on important issues such as stopping the nuclear program.
He reiterated that America stands firmly with its ally Israel. He said that Israel has every right to take action against its enemies (Hezbollah and Iran-backed groups) and that the US would not interfere in this.
Iran has blamed the failure of the talks on America’s “unreasonable and maximalist demands.” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that both countries were very close to an agreement, but the US changed its conditions at the last moment. Iran had insisted from the beginning that the ceasefire should not be limited only to Iran but must also include Lebanon.Iran described Israel’s ongoing attacks on Lebanon as a violation of the ceasefire.
After the failure of the 21-hour talks with Iran in Islamabad (Pakistan), US President Donald Trump issued very strong statements. He made it clear that the United States would not allow Iran to build nuclear weapons at any cost. After the talks collapsed, Trump announced the blockade of all Iranian ports, especially the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said this blockade came into effect on Monday, April 13, at 10:00 AM (US time). Trump warned that if Iran’s fast-attack ships came near the American blockade, they would be “immediately eliminated.” He described this action as “quick and brutal.” Trump said that any country trying to pass ships through the Strait of Hormuz by paying a toll (fee) to Iran would be stopped by US security forces.
Trump told reporters, “I don’t care if they (the Iranians) come back to the negotiating table or not. If they don’t, I’m fine with that.”Britain has adopted a quite strong and separate stance on the collapse of the Islamabad talks and America’s imposition of the blockade on Iran.
Read it: Trump’s Ceasefire Claims, Attacks Continue from both sides.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has clearly stated that he does not agree with America’s step. Prime Minister Starmer said that Britain will not become part of the US naval blockade. He said that Britain does not want to be “dragged” into this war.
Britain and Spain have appealed to both countries to find a diplomatic solution instead of war. Starmer said, “We must find a way out of this crisis.” Earlier, the British government had also described Israel’s military actions in Lebanon as wrong and demanded an immediate ceasefire.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that America’s so-called blockade is against international interests. He said that the unobstructed passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz is a shared international interest. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has clarified that it will continue its trade and energy relations with Iran and will not tolerate any external interference.
While supporting Iran, China said it would continue to respect its oil and trade agreements. Chinese Defense Minister Admiral Dong Jun warned that Chinese ships would continue their passage through the Hormuz route and their safety would be ensured. China condemned the (Israeli) attacks on Lebanon, saying that Lebanon’s sovereignty must not be violated. It added that a ceasefire should be implemented across the entire region.
China has outright rejected reports claiming that it is supplying MANPADS (man-portable air-defense systems) to Iran, calling it a “smear campaign.” Regarding President Trump’s threat to impose 50% tariffs on countries supporting Iran, China said, “No one wins a tariff war.”
After the collapse of the Islamabad talks and the US announcement of the blockade on Iran, countries around the world have expressed concern and reacted according to their own interests.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that despite the failure of the talks, both the US and Iran are “sincere” about a ceasefire. Fidan warned that Israel could play the role of a “spoiler” in this peace process. Turkey has opposed any proposal to deploy international military forces in the Strait of Hormuz and has emphasized that the issue should be resolved only through diplomacy.
Russia has described the collapse of the talks as a defeat for American diplomacy. President Vladimir Putin spoke with the Iranian President and offered Russia’s help in resolving this dispute. Russia had earlier welcomed the ceasefire so that it could negotiate with the US on the Ukraine issue.
Gulf countries have condemned Iran’s attacks and demanded a permanent peace agreement in the region that could impose restrictions on Iran’s missile and nuclear programs.
Qatar’s Foreign Minister appealed to both sides to remain ready for renewed mediation so that the full-scale war could be prevented.
The Iranian army and the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) issued a joint statement saying that if Iran is stopped from selling oil, then “no port in the region (Persian Gulf) will remain safe.” Iran has warned that the Strait of Hormuz is still under its “full control.” The IRGC said that any foreign warship attempting to enter this waterway would be trapped in a “deadly vortex/whirlpool.” Iran called the American blockade “laughable” and stated that the Iranian navy is ready to confront American ships.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that both sides were very close to an agreement, but the US sabotaged the talks at the final stage through “maximalism” (excessive demands) and by changing conditions.
Iran’s Defense Ministry said it would not bow to American threats. It made it clear that if America uses force, Iran would also respond “with force.”
Due to the disruption in shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices have once again crossed $104 per barrel. This has led to growing concern worldwide about this war. If the conflict prolongs and the US stops Chinese and Russian ships, tensions around the world are expected to increase further.