Iran denies reports it would join 2nd round peace talks in Islamabad
Security personnel stand guard at a security checkpost along a road temporarily closed in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 20, 2026. (AFP Photo)


Iran's Foreign Ministry has denied reports that it was sending a team to Islamabad, saying 'no decision' yet on whether Tehran will attend the next round of U.S. talks.

The announcement comes after Turkish Anadolu Agency (AA) cited two Pakistani sources to report that Iran will attend the peace talks in the Pakistani capital, despite the latest hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz

Earlier, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that every rational and diplomatic path should be used ⁠to reduce tensions ⁠with the U.S.

He added that vigilance and distrust in interactions ​with Washington were an "undeniable ​necessity," according ⁠to the state news agency IRNA.

A two-week cease-fire between Iran and the U.S. is set to expire Wednesday, with U.S. representatives set to reach Islamabad for Iran negotiations Monday.

The adversaries ⁠are at loggerheads over the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran tightened control over maritime transit ​as the U.S. continues to blockade Iranian ports ​and Sunday took custody of a vessel trying to ⁠get ‌past ‌the American blockade.

Both Iran and ⁠the U.S. have ‌accused each other of violating the cease-fire. ​Pezeshkian said the ⁠U.S. blockade showed that Washington ⁠was moving toward "repeating previous patterns and betraying ⁠diplomacy," according ​to state TV.