Despite the US assurance of giving a fair deal to Iran during the second round of Islamabad Talks, Tehran still find it hard to have a full faith on American diplomacy. At the core of the issue, there is a history of mistrust that the US has built, be it the abandonment of the 2015 nuclear deal and attacks on Iran in February, while back-channel negotiations were underway.
Islamabad Talks 2.0 in limbo
US President Donald Trump has repeateadly said Vice President JD Vance will be heading to Pakistan for Islamabad Talks 2.0, but Iran has'nt send a positive signal, at least publically.
According to a source by news agency Reuters, Iran is considering attending peace talks with the United States in Pakistan following moves by Islamabad to end a US blockade of Iran's ports, a significant obstacle to Tehran rejoining peace efforts as the end of a two-week ceasefire approaches. However, the Iranian officials did not say in public. In fact, they are highlighting the matter of trust with America.
Iran says won't negotiate under pressure
The official stressed that no decision had been made and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that "continued violations of the ceasefire" by the US are a major obstacle to continuing the diplomatic process. Araqchi told his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, in a telephone call that Iran, while taking all aspects of the matter into account, had yet to decide how to proceed further.
On Monday night, Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf accused US President Donald Trump on X of increasing pressure on Tehran through the blockade and ceasefire violations, saying Iran rejects negotiations under threat.
The two-week ceasefire in a conflict that has killed thousands and roiled the global economy, particularly energy markets, is set to expire this week. It had appeared to be in jeopardy after the US said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Tehran vowed to retaliate.
In the Islamabad talks, Trump is eager for a deal that would help avoid another surge in oil prices and plunge in stock markets.
Adding to the uncertainty, Vice President JD Vance remained in the United States on Monday, a separate source told Reuters, denying reports he was already on his way to Pakistan for talks. The unnamed senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran was "positively reviewing" its participation, a shift from earlier statements ruling out attendance and pledging to retaliate for US aggression.
Why does Iran have so many trust issues with US?
There is a historical precedent: the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) withdrawal. This is the single most cited long-term reason. In 2018, during his first term, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA (the 2015 international nuclear agreement), even though IAEA inspectors confirmed Iran was fully complying.
The US then reimposed sweeping “maximum pressure” sanctions. Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, have repeatedly said this proved “don’t trust America", a phrase that has become a cornerstone of Iranian rhetoric.
Trump now claims any new deal under his administration would be “better” than the 2015 one, but Iran points out that the US has a track record of abandoning agreements when a new president takes office or political winds shifts.
Iranian officials argue the US has a history of using talks as leverage for regime-change goals rather than genuine diplomacy, referencing the 1953 coup, post-1979 sanctions, the 2020 Soleimani killing, and support for Israeli strikes.
(With inputs from Reuters)
You may also like to watch