ISLAMABAD: “Good will begets good will. Enmity begets enmity,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said after marathon talks with Washington collapsed, as Tehran reacted sharply to a US plan to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, a move that threatens to upend a fragile ceasefire and escalate the conflict.
Araqchi said Iran had negotiated in good faith but encountered “maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade” just inches from sealing an “Islamabad MoU,” adding: “Zero lessons earned.”
His remarks came after US President Donald Trump announced that the US Navy would begin blockading maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports following the failure of weekend talks in Islamabad — the first direct US-Iran engagement in more than a decade.
The US Central Command said the blockade would take effect at 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT) on Monday and would be enforced against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports along the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. It added that freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz for non-Iranian-bound vessels would not be impeded.
Trump, writing on social media, said Washington would target any vessel paying what he described as an “illegal toll” to Iran and would begin clearing mines allegedly laid by Iranian forces in the strategic waterway, through which roughly 20 percent of global energy supplies pass.
“No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” Trump said, warning that any Iranian attack on US or commercial vessels would be met with overwhelming force.
Iran’s response was swift. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that any military vessels approaching the Strait would be treated as a breach of the ceasefire and dealt with “harshly and decisively,” underscoring the risk of further escalation.
Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf dismissed Trump’s threats, saying they would have no effect on Tehran’s position.
“If you fight, we will fight, and if you come forward with logic, we will deal with logic,” Qalibaf said in remarks carried by state media.
The talks in Islamabad followed a ceasefire announced earlier in the week after six weeks of fighting that has killed thousands, rattled global markets and driven oil prices above $100 per barrel. The Strait of Hormuz has remained a central flashpoint, with Iran previously restricting traffic through the narrow shipping lane.
US Vice President JD Vance, who led the American delegation, said no agreement had been reached, calling the outcome “bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news for the United States.”
Despite the breakdown, Trump signaled that diplomacy may continue, describing the talks as “very friendly” and saying he believed Iran would return to the negotiating table.
“I do believe they’re going to come to the table on this,” he said in an interview with Fox News.
A US official said key sticking points included Washington’s demand for a complete halt to uranium enrichment, dismantling of enrichment facilities and the transfer of highly enriched uranium, as well as ending Iranian support for regional groups and ensuring full access to the Strait.
Qalibaf, however, blamed Washington for the impasse, saying Iran had put forward “forward-looking initiatives” but had failed to gain US trust. President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, reiterated that Tehran seeks a “balanced and fair agreement.”
“If the United States returns to the framework of international law, reaching an agreement is not far off,” he said, according to state media.
Iranian outlets, including the semi-official Tasnim news agency, said “excessive” US demands had hindered progress, though some issues were reportedly agreed upon, with the Strait and Tehran’s nuclear program remaining the main obstacles.
Amid the tensions, shipping data showed three fully laden supertankers transited the Strait on Saturday, appearing to be the first vessels to exit the Gulf since the ceasefire — a tentative sign that maritime traffic had yet to be fully disrupted despite the looming blockade.
