TEHRAN, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has blamed the U.S. maximalist demands and naval blockade threats for the two countries' failure to reach an agreement in their recent peace talks in Pakistan.
He made the remarks in a post on X early Monday, stressing that Tehran and Washington were only "inches away" from reaching an agreement in their negotiations in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, on Saturday on easing tensions in the Middle East.
"In intensive talks at highest level in 47 years, Iran engaged with U.S. in good faith to end war. But when just inches away from 'Islamabad MoU,' we encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade," Araghchi said.
"Zero lessons earned. Good will beget good will. Enmity begets enmity," he added.
In reaction to the talks' failure, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a Sunday post on Truth Social that the U.S. Navy would begin blocking ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's Navy Commander Shahram Irani on Sunday described Trump's threat of imposing a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz as "very ridiculous and laughable," the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
He added Iran's naval forces are monitoring all movements by the U.S. army in the region.
Also on Sunday, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said in a statement that any military vessels that intend to approach the Strait of Hormuz under any title or pretext will be considered a ceasefire violation and will be dealt with severely. ■
