Regional mediation efforts to broker a ceasefire between the United States and Iran have reached a dead end, mediators said on Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The push, led by Pakistan, has failed to yield a breakthrough, with Tehran formally notifying mediators that it is unwilling to send officials to Islamabad for talks in the coming days.
Iran has also stressed that it finds Washington’s demands unacceptable, effectively closing off the current framework for negotiations.
The breakdown has left diplomatic efforts in limbo, prompting Turkey and Egypt to look beyond Islamabad for solutions. The two countries are now exploring alternative venues to host the talks, with Qatar and Istanbul emerging as the leading candidates to salvage what remains of the ceasefire push.
The United States and Iran have been in talks about a possible deal that would trade a ceasefire in exchange for Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report by Axios.
The report also mentioned that Trump spoke about a possible ceasefire with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over a call on Wednesday.
In a post on Truth Social the same day, Trump claimed that Iran’s president wants a ceasefire and said that it would only happen when the Strait of Hormuz is “open, free, and clear.”
“We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are bombarding Iran to the point of destruction, or as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!”, Trump wrote.
However, a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry labelled the claim “false and baseless.”