CAIRO, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar voiced hope for a new round of U.S.-Iran talks during a phone call on Sunday.
According to a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ministers discussed advancing U.S.-Iran diplomacy and affirmed that negotiation and dialogue are the only ways to resolve the dispute.
Both parties agreed to maintain joint coordination and consultation on relevant developments to support regional security and stability.
Iran's official news agency IRNA said on Sunday that the country has rejected taking part in the second round of the peace talks with the United States.
Iran's 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," the agency said in a post on its English account on social media platform X.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East, and exercising tight control over the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire was achieved between the warring parties on April 8, followed by lengthy talks between the Iranian and U.S. delegations in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 11 and 12. After the peace negotiations in Islamabad collapsed, the United States imposed its own blockade on the waterway.
The Iranian and U.S. delegations were reportedly expected to hold another round of peace talks in Pakistan soon. ■
