US-Iran Ceasefire expires April 22: Tehran to skip Islamabad talks round two, calls US demands 'childish'
Iran's state media confirmed the country would not participate in the planned second round of US-Iran talks in Pakistan, dealing a sharp blow to efforts to extend a truce in a war approaching the two-month mark
- Apr 20, 2026,
- Updated Apr 20, 2026 7:33 AM IST
Iran has pulled out of a second round of nuclear ceasefire talks with the United States in Pakistan, throwing the fragile truce into uncertainty just days before it expires on April 22.
Tehran's decision, confirmed by state media Sunday, came hours after President Donald Trump said American negotiators would be in Islamabad on Monday, briefly raising hopes of a breakthrough. Those hopes collapsed swiftly.
Why Iran walked away
Tehran was unambiguous about its reasons. Iran blamed Washington's "excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions," and the ongoing US naval blockade of its ports, which it described as a direct breach of the ceasefire.
At a high-level meeting on Sunday, Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref did not mince words, describing the American approach to negotiations as "childish" and inconsistent, accusing Washington of seeking a ceasefire and negotiations under pressure, then adopting a more hardline attitude afterwards.
The decision marked an abrupt reversal. Parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf had said there would be "no retreat in the field of diplomacy." But fresh threats from Trump appear to have changed the calculation.
Trump's threat
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump threatened to destroy civilian infrastructure across Iran if it refused the deal Washington was offering. He vowed to end Tehran's "killing machine," adding that "the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran."
Back in Washington, the White House said Vice President JD Vance, who led the first round of marathon talks in Islamabad last week, and other senior officials had been preparing to leave for Pakistan. Those plans now appear suspended.
The Strait of Hormuz: A war within the war
Meanwhile, Iran has also declared the closure of the Strait of Hormuz again and warned that any ship approaching it would be targeted. Hundreds of vessels are reportedly stranded at both ends of the strait, through which around one-fifth of the world's oil supply passes.
Iran has labelled the US naval blockade an "act of aggression." Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei accused Washington of violating the ceasefire terms. Trump, for his part, accused Iran of firing at ships transiting the strait, and on Saturday, Iranian gunboats fired on two Indian-flagged merchant vessels, forcing them to turn back.
Where the deadlock stands
Despite back-channel negotiations, both sides have refused to move on the core issues: Iran's nuclear enrichment programme, its regional proxies, including Hezbollah, and control over the Strait of Hormuz. Vance previously acknowledged that deep mistrust between Washington and Tehran remains the biggest obstacle to any peace agreement.
With the ceasefire set to expire on April 22 and talks now in disarray, that mistrust shows no sign of narrowing.
Iran has pulled out of a second round of nuclear ceasefire talks with the United States in Pakistan, throwing the fragile truce into uncertainty just days before it expires on April 22.
Tehran's decision, confirmed by state media Sunday, came hours after President Donald Trump said American negotiators would be in Islamabad on Monday, briefly raising hopes of a breakthrough. Those hopes collapsed swiftly.
Why Iran walked away
Tehran was unambiguous about its reasons. Iran blamed Washington's "excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions," and the ongoing US naval blockade of its ports, which it described as a direct breach of the ceasefire.
At a high-level meeting on Sunday, Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref did not mince words, describing the American approach to negotiations as "childish" and inconsistent, accusing Washington of seeking a ceasefire and negotiations under pressure, then adopting a more hardline attitude afterwards.
The decision marked an abrupt reversal. Parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf had said there would be "no retreat in the field of diplomacy." But fresh threats from Trump appear to have changed the calculation.
Trump's threat
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump threatened to destroy civilian infrastructure across Iran if it refused the deal Washington was offering. He vowed to end Tehran's "killing machine," adding that "the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran."
Back in Washington, the White House said Vice President JD Vance, who led the first round of marathon talks in Islamabad last week, and other senior officials had been preparing to leave for Pakistan. Those plans now appear suspended.
The Strait of Hormuz: A war within the war
Meanwhile, Iran has also declared the closure of the Strait of Hormuz again and warned that any ship approaching it would be targeted. Hundreds of vessels are reportedly stranded at both ends of the strait, through which around one-fifth of the world's oil supply passes.
Iran has labelled the US naval blockade an "act of aggression." Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei accused Washington of violating the ceasefire terms. Trump, for his part, accused Iran of firing at ships transiting the strait, and on Saturday, Iranian gunboats fired on two Indian-flagged merchant vessels, forcing them to turn back.
Where the deadlock stands
Despite back-channel negotiations, both sides have refused to move on the core issues: Iran's nuclear enrichment programme, its regional proxies, including Hezbollah, and control over the Strait of Hormuz. Vance previously acknowledged that deep mistrust between Washington and Tehran remains the biggest obstacle to any peace agreement.
With the ceasefire set to expire on April 22 and talks now in disarray, that mistrust shows no sign of narrowing.