'Remove blocade...': Iran President sets precondition for US talks as economic pressure mounts

Iran has ruled out fresh negotiations with the United States as long as economic and logistical restrictions remain in place, even as reports point to growing internal strain within its leadership. 

President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would not return to the negotiating table while Washington continues to impose what he described as a blockade on Iranian ports.

During a phone call with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pezeshkian stressed that the US “should first remove operational obstacles, including the blockade,” before any new round of talks can begin, according to Iranian media reports. Sharif later described the exchange as a “warm and constructive discussion.” 

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The remarks come against the backdrop of heightened diplomatic activity. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi concluded a brief visit to Islamabad after meeting senior Pakistani military and government officials. However, the trip failed to revive stalled negotiations, particularly after US President Donald Trump canceled a planned visit by his envoys to the Pakistani capital. 

Secret letter warns mounting economic pressure

Tensions have been further fuelled by Trump’s recent claim that Iran’s leadership is “fighting like cats and dogs,” alongside reports of a confidential letter that has intensified scrutiny over internal cohesion in Tehran. 

According to reports, the letter — addressed to Mojtaba Khamenei — warned that Iran’s economic situation had become severe and unsustainable. It reportedly urged authorities to seriously consider negotiations with the United States over the nuclear issue, indicating concern among senior officials about the country’s direction amid mounting economic pressure following its conflict with the US and Israel that began in late February. 

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The document is said to have been signed by several top figures, including Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Pezeshkian, Araghchi, and Mostafa Pourmohammadi. However, some officials, including Ali Bagheri Kani, reportedly declined to endorse it. 

Though intended to remain confidential, the letter was allegedly circulated beyond a limited circle, triggering sharp reactions within Iran’s political establishment. Authorities have since moved quickly to counter perceptions of division. 

Ghalibaf dismissed speculation of internal rifts, stating, “In Iran there are no hardliners or moderates. We are all Iranian and revolutionary.” Pezeshkian echoed similar sentiments, while judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei described talk of factionalism as “absurd and baseless.”