Ships and tankers in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam, Oman, April 18, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD, April 19 (Reuters) – Iran rejected new peace talks with the United States, its state news agency reported on Sunday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump had said he was sending envoys to Pakistan for talks and would strike Iran unless it accepted his terms.

Trump posted on Truth Social that his envoys would arrive on ‌Monday evening for negotiations, a timetable 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,” he wrote. “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”

Iran’s official IRNA news agency 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.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Iran’s rejection of the talks.

STRAIT OF HORMUZ STILL SHUT

A White House official had 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 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.

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.

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 it reversed that decision on Saturday after Trump declined to lift a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

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Via https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-iran-cite-progress-talks-010120693.html