Iran accuses US of ‘maximalism, shifting goalposts’ at Islamabad talks

Iran accused the United States early Monday of derailing talks in Islamabad after the two sides had come close to reaching an agreement.

“We engaged with the US in good faith to end the war,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement.

He said the parties had been “just inches away” from an “Islamabad MoU” before encountering “maximalism, shifting goalposts and a blockade” from the US side.

“Good will begets good will. Enmity begets enmity,” Araghchi added.

The remarks came shortly after US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it would begin enforcing a blockade on all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports starting Monday while excluding vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.

The development followed the latest round of Iranian-US talks in Islamabad which ended without an agreement.

The negotiations Saturday, mediated by Pakistan, ended following multiple rounds of discussions and exchanges of proposals but failed to produce a breakthrough.

The two sides left Islamabad with key differences unresolved, with both signaling that further diplomatic efforts would be needed.

The talks were part of broader efforts to end the US-Israeli war on Iran that began on Feb. 28, under a fragile two-week ceasefire brokered earlier.