Third Round of Iran-US Talks Ends with Deep Divide, Strait of Hormuz and Nuclear Issue Remain Key Flashpoints

BlockBeats News, April 12: The third round of talks between Iran and the United States in Islamabad on April 12 local time has ended. The Iranian side described this round of talks as the "last opportunity" to reach a framework agreement. Since the 11th, the negotiation agenda between the two parties has been intense, with negotiations going late into the night. All parties seized the temporary ceasefire window to intensify the game, but sharp differences remain on the three core issues of controlling the Strait of Hormuz, unfreezing overseas assets, and uranium enrichment. Sources familiar with the matter stated that due to the U.S. side's "sky-high demands," no substantive progress has been made since the Iran-U.S. Islamabad talks began, and some Western media outlets are exaggerating the "positive atmosphere" of the negotiations for the purpose of influencing international energy prices. The fourth round of talks between Iran and the United States will continue on Sunday.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Baghaei reported the progress of the talks with the United States in Islamabad, Pakistan, early this morning local time. According to the brief he released, the negotiations between Iran and the United States, mediated by Pakistan, began on the morning of April 11 and are still ongoing. The two sides exchanged a large amount of information, with Iran's negotiating representatives "doing their utmost to safeguard Iran's rights." The brief stated that Iran and the U.S. discussed various aspects of the main negotiation topics, including the issues of the Strait of Hormuz, the nuclear issue, war reparations, lifting sanctions, and ending the wars against Iran and the Middle East completely. The brief emphasized that the success of this diplomatic process depends on the sincerity of the U.S. side, on whether the U.S. side has made excessive and illegal demands, and on whether it accepts Iran's legitimate rights.

Outside the negotiation table, the U.S. military announced the commencement of mine-clearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz, while the Israeli Prime Minister declared that they would continue to strike Iran and its proxies. With little time left in the ceasefire window, diplomatic maneuvers and military actions are escalating simultaneously, and the Middle East situation is at a crossroads between war and peace.