TEHRAN: Iranian officials on Thursday blamed the United States for stalled negotiations and the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, warning that Tehran will not yield to pressure from Washington.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Tehran’s delegation in the first round of talks in Islamabad said a full ceasefire was impossible as long as a US naval blockade on Iranian ports remained in place.
“A complete ceasefire only makes sense if it is not violated by the maritime blockade,” he said, adding that reopening the strategic waterway would not happen under current conditions.
“Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is not possible amid a blatant violation of the ceasefire.”
آتشبس کامل وقتی معنا دارد که با محاصره دریایی و گروگانگیری اقتصاد دنیا نقض نشود و جنگ افروزی صهیونیستها در همه جبههها متوقف باشد؛ بازگشایی تنگه هرمز با نقض فاحش آتشبس ممکن نیست.
با تجاوز نظامی به اهداف خود نرسیدند،با قلدری هم نخواهند رسید. تنها راه، پذیرش حقوق ملت ایران است.— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) April 22, 2026
President Masoud Pezeshkian echoed the stance, saying Iran remained open to dialogue but that “breach of commitments, blockade and threats” were obstructing meaningful negotiations.
The remarks came as a truce between Iran and the United States held after its initial two-week period expired, with no clear timeline for its extension.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani, said lifting the blockade was a prerequisite for talks to resume.
“We are ready for a political solution,” he told reporters, while warning Iran would respond if conflict resumed.
Hurmoz blockade
US President Donald Trump suggested the blockade would remain in place as leverage, while the White House said no deadline had been set for the ceasefire.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the timing of the truce would be determined solely by Trump, adding that Washington viewed Iran as being in a weakened position.
Despite the relative calm, tensions remain high. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it had seized two foreign vessels in the Strait of Hormuz for alleged maritime violations.
JUST IN: 🇺🇸🇮🇷 IRGC released footage of seizing MSC Francesca and Epaminondas in the Strait of Hormuz today.
The White House says President Trump doesn’t view it as a ceasefire breach since the ships weren’t American or Israeli, while the U.S. blockade on Iranian shipping… pic.twitter.com/3jSUDNz9hK
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) April 23, 2026
With the blockade still in place and no new talks scheduled, uncertainty persists, raising fears the conflict could quickly reignite.
Oil prices jumped four percent before easing Thursday after Iran vowed not to reopen the Strait of Hormuz so long as a US blockade remained in place.
At around 0025 GMT, the benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) climbed 4.06 percent to $96.73 per barrel. International oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude rose 3.62 percent to $105.63. Both eased back in the following minutes.
Trump had said he wanted to give time for Iran’s “fractured” leadership to come up with a proposal, in what many observers saw as a face-saving way to avoid renewed war.
Trump told the New York Post that talks could resume in Pakistan within two to three days, even though Iran has not confirmed participation, and Vice President JD Vance put his travel to Islamabad on hold.
Trump also claimed that Iran, at his request, had halted alleged plans to execute eight women arrested over massive anti-government protests in the weeks before the attack.
But Iran’s judiciary described his remarks as “false news”, saying the women had never faced the death penalty.
Good news
Speaking to The New York Post, Trump said “good news” regarding renewed negotiations may be coming as soon as Friday, adding that a follow-up round of talks was under consideration.
Sources, cited by The New York Post, touted positive Pakistani mediation efforts with Tehran, renewing the possibility of further peace talks within the next “36 to 72 hours.”
Despite warnings from both sides and tit-for-tat interceptions of commercial ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the Pakistan-brokered ceasefire between the US and Iran has held since it was signed two weeks ago.
On Tuesday, Trump said that he was extending the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran time to formulate a unified response to his offer for a wider peace deal.
Pakistan, which has acted as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran, has urged both sides to sit down again for a new round of direct talks after brokering the first ceasefire agreement in Islamabad in early April.
Ships Seized
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz, saying they violated maritime rules.
Panama confirmed one vessel’s seizure, calling it a threat to maritime security, while UK monitors reported gunboat incidents, including a ship fired upon but with no casualties.
The move comes as US President Donald Trump enforces a naval blockade on Iranian shipping.
Iran has tightened control of the strait, while both sides accuse each other of breaching the ceasefire.
Israeli Strikes
In Lebanon, Israeli strikes killed five people on Wednesday despite a truce, Lebanese media reported, underscoring fragile calm ahead of new talks.
Among the dead was journalist Amal Khalil, while fellow reporter Zeinab Faraj was wounded in a strike near the border, according to local media.
BREAKING: Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil has been killed in an Israeli attack, confirms her employer. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Israel “pursued” Khalil by “targeting” the house where she took shelter after an Israeli attack.
🔴 LIVE updates: https://t.co/DwMTyK2AOV pic.twitter.com/EzD0x29uE3
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 22, 2026
The violence comes after a ceasefire brokered by the United States between Israel and Hezbollah following the Iran conflict.
French President Emmanuel Macron said a second French peacekeeper wounded in a weekend ambush had died, after another soldier was killed in the same attack. Hezbollah has denied responsibility.
Israel and Lebanon are due to hold a second round of talks in Washington on Thursday, despite having no formal diplomatic relations.
Lebanon will seek a one-month extension of the ceasefire and push for an end to Israeli strikes, a Lebanese official told AFP.
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 2,450 people since the war began, according to Lebanese authorities.
