After Trump's threat of bombing, the three major U.S. stock indexes all turned to losses. Reports indicate that Iran accused the United States of breaking its commitments and insisting on excessive demands, considering participation in negotiations a waste of time. The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that it has not yet decided whether to participate in the negotiations. A member of Iran’s parliamentary leadership said there would be no second round of negotiations until the maritime blockade is resolved; a senior Iranian parliament official noted that if diplomatic language proves ineffective, they will choose to continue the conflict. American media reported that Vance remains in Washington and will attend a White House meeting; his delay in traveling to Islamabad is due to ongoing divisions within Iran over whether to participate in peace talks.
As the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran enters its final countdown, it remains uncertain whether the two sides will engage in peace talks. U.S. President Trump reiterated that he will not extend the ceasefire period again and threatened to resume military action if no agreement is reached. Iran has yet to decide whether to participate in the talks, with its lawmakers reiterating their demand for lifting the maritime blockade. According to CCTV, Iran reportedly informed the U.S. via intermediaries that it would not attend the U.S.-Iran negotiations scheduled for the 22nd.
On Tuesday, the 21st, according to Xinhua News Agency, U.S. President Trump stated that he does not wish to extend the ceasefire agreement with Iran. The U.S. military is ready for combat and will resume bombing Iran after the ceasefire expires.
According to Xinhua News Agency, during an interview with U.S. media on Tuesday, Trump said that the U.S. is in a 'very advantageous negotiation position' and 'we will eventually reach a fantastic agreement.'
However, when asked whether he would extend the ceasefire beyond its expiration on the 22nd, Trump responded: 'I don’t want to do that because we are running out of time.' He stated that the U.S. military would resume bombing after the ceasefire expires because adopting such a tough stance was 'more appropriate,' and the military is fully prepared for combat.
Trump also mentioned that the U.S. military had replenished supplies during the ceasefire period, stating, 'We are now very well-prepared, with plenty of ammunition and much stronger capabilities than four or five weeks ago.'
Trump again criticized NATO allies for 'not helping' in the conflict with Iran and emphasized, 'We no longer need them. In fact, we have never needed them... They need us very much because they are merely 'paper tigers.''
Reports indicate: Iran accuses the U.S. of breaking commitments and insisting on excessive demands, considering participation in negotiations a waste of time.
According to CCTV News, on the evening of April 21 local time, it was learned that Iran’s negotiation team had informed the U.S., through Pakistani intermediaries, that for various reasons, they would not travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, on the 22nd, and currently have no possibility of participating in the negotiations.
According to CCTV, relevant sources pointed out that after Pakistan mediated and requested a U.S. ceasefire, Iran accepted the ceasefire agreement and agreed to proceed with subsequent negotiations to end the war based on a ten-point framework proposed by Iran and already accepted by the U.S. Pakistan also explicitly announced that the U.S. had accepted this framework. However, in the following days, the U.S. began to break its promises. Additionally, during the first round of negotiations held in Islamabad, the U.S. made many excessive demands, which essentially violated the initial framework, causing the talks to reach an impasse.
The source also stated that during exchanges over the past few days, the U.S. side insisted on its excessive demands, which infringed upon the absolute rights of the Iranian people, and the exchanges between both sides did not achieve any substantive progress. Therefore, Iran ultimately announced that under these circumstances, participating in the negotiations was a waste of time because the U.S. was obstructing any substantial agreement from being reached.
CCTV noted that this information has not yet been officially confirmed by Iran.
Member of Iran's parliamentary board: No second round of negotiations until the maritime blockade is resolved
According to Xinhua News Agency citing Iranian media reports on Tuesday, member of the Presidium of the Iranian Parliament Nadiri stated that day that 'we will not hold a second round of negotiations until the issue of the maritime blockade is resolved.'
Nadiri denied earlier reports by some media outlets about Iran sending a high-level delegation to Pakistan, stating that 'no Iranian delegation is in Pakistan.'
Later, according to Xinhua News Agency citing another Iranian media report on Tuesday, the spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that due to the unpredictable stance of the United States, a final decision on whether Iran will participate in the talks in Pakistan has not yet been made.
Baghaei stated that the reason for not making a final decision is not Iran's hesitation but rather the contradictory information and actions from the U.S., along with unacceptable moves. He said that the U.S. attack on Iranian vessels seriously violated international law and constituted acts of piracy and state terrorism.
Baghaei also mentioned that once the talks shift to being results-oriented, Iran will decide whether to participate.
Xinhua News Agency mentioned that according to Iranian media reports, Hazriyan, a member of the National Security Committee of the Iranian Islamic Parliament, stated on Tuesday that unless conditions change, Iran does not intend to negotiate with the United States under the current circumstances.
Senior Iranian parliamentary official: War will continue when diplomatic language proves ineffective
According to Xinhua News Agency citing Iranian media reports on the 21st, Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian Islamic Parliament, Ibrahim Aziz, stated that if the enemy does not understand diplomatic language, Iran will choose to continue the conflict.
Aziz said that the battlefield and diplomacy complement each other. If the enemy cannot understand the language of diplomacy, the language of the battlefield, with the support of the Iranian people, will effectively change the situation.
Aziz also stated that the Iranian people will choose the 'path of dignity and progress' and resolutely oppose external forces’ 'maximum pressure' and 'diplomatic traps'.
American media reported that Vance is still in Washington, and the delay in traveling to Islamabad stems from internal Iranian divisions.
A Pakistani source told Xinhua News Agency reporters on the 21st that US negotiating personnel had arrived in Pakistan over the past two days.
According to CCTV, a White House official stated on April 21 that US Vice President Pence had not yet departed for Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, to participate in Iran negotiations, as he was involved in other policy meetings at the White House.
Xinhua News Agency cited American media reports stating that U.S. Vice President Vance, originally scheduled to travel to Pakistan on Tuesday morning, remains in Washington. It is unclear when Vance will depart for Pakistan. The White House plans to hold meetings on Tuesday to discuss follow-up strategies regarding dialogue with Iran, which Vance will attend.
CCTV cited media reports stating that Vance’s originally planned trip to Islamabad was postponed due to internal disagreements within Iran over whether to participate in a new round of peace negotiations.
Sources indicated that as the ceasefire agreement was set to expire that evening, Iran had not decided whether to send a delegation to participate in the negotiations, becoming the biggest uncertainty at present. Internal Iranian disputes focus on whether to participate in the talks without the lifting of the U.S. maritime blockade on its ports.
CCTV mentioned that as of noon on the 21st, Vance, U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs Steve Witkoff, and advisor Jared Kushner were still in Washington. White House officials stated that Vance would participate in other policy meetings that day. Additionally, the U.S. aircraft originally scheduled to carry Witkoff and Kushner to Islamabad temporarily changed its route and instead flew to Washington.
According to Xinhua News Agency, Pakistani Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ataullah Talar posted on social media on the 21st that, as of 19:30 local time, they were still awaiting an official response from Iran regarding confirmation of attendance at the Islamabad peace talks.
Editor/Liam