Tehran, Iran. Iran rejected new peace talks with the United States, state news agency IRNA reported on Sunday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was sending envoys for negotiations and warned of strikes unless Iran accepted his terms.
Trump’s statement and timetable
Trump posted on Truth Social that his envoys would arrive on Monday evening for negotiations, a timeline that would leave only a day for talks to make progress before a two-week ceasefire ends.
“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” Trump wrote. “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”
IRNA report on Iran’s position
IRNA cited no specific source in its report that Iran had rejected the talks.
“Iran stated that its absence from the second round of talks stems from what it called Washington’s excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire,” IRNA wrote.
U.S. response and delegation details
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Iran’s rejection of the talks.
A White House official said the U.S. delegation would be headed by Vice President JD Vance, who led the war’s first peace talks a week ago, and would also include Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. Trump had initially told ABC News and MS Now that Vance would not go.
Shipping disruption and market concerns
The apparent diplomatic setback came with shipping still blocked in the Strait of Hormuz, and could set the stage for a renewed surge in oil prices when markets reopen after the weekend within a few hours.
Negotiations and the Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, had earlier said the two sides had made progress but were still far apart on nuclear issues and the strait.
Iran has blocked the strait to ships other than its own since the United States and Israel attacked on February 28. It announced on Friday that it would reopen the waterway, but reversed that decision on Saturday after Trump declined to lift a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.
What impact do you expect the continued Strait of Hormuz shipping disruption to have on oil prices?
