Araghchi: US "Contradictory and Excessive Stances" Obstruct Peace Talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, meeting with Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran, publicly stated that Washington's 'contradictory and excessive stances' constitute 'a serious obstacle' to diplomatic progress in the Iran-US negotiations. Araghchi cited deep institutional distrust of the US establishment, rooted in repeated broken promises — including the 2018 JCPOA withdrawal — and said Iran could not accept demands that simultaneously insisted on zero enrichment and continued sanctions pressure. He discussed Iran's revised 14-point proposal submitted through Pakistan and signaled Iran was still committed to negotiations despite the new US sanctions round announced the same day. The remarks illustrated the fundamental tension in Washington's dual-track approach of talks plus economic pressure.