Ruptly
"The spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmail Baqai, announced on Tuesday that 'no final decision has been made regarding whether or not to participate' in the talks in Islamabad. He made the remarks during an interview with state television. "As of now, I can say that no final decision has been made regarding participation. This does not mean hesitation or lack of decision; rather, the reason is clear. We are receiving contradictory messages and conflicting behavior along with unacceptable actions on the part of the Americans," he explained. The spokesperson recalled the announcement by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on April 15 regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, to which US President Donald Trump responded by announcing it would ‘continue the naval blockade'. “The naval blockade is considered an illegal act under international law and constitutes a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement,” Baqai continued. “This was followed by the attack on our merchant ship.” This comes amid anticipation of a new round of talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad. Until now, there has been no official confirmation of Iran's participation in the round, though media reports have stated that it will send a negotiating delegation to the Pakistani capital. Meanwhile, Trump confirmed that his representatives would travel to Islamabad for a second round of talks with Iran, before adding that he did not wish to extend the ceasefire. Later, he extended the ceasefire on Tuesday unilaterally, although Tehran has since commented that it views US actions in the Strait of Hormuz as an act of war, indicating that Iran will only observe the ceasefire in its own ‘national interests’. On April 8, the United States and Iran reached a conditional two-week ceasefire agreement, followed by a round of talks in Islamabad mediated by Pakistan, which didn't reach a breakthrough. The United States and Israel launched a joint military operation against Iran on February 28. Tehran subsequently confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war; his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was later chosen as his successor. "
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