Iranian Foreign Minister: US in Contradiction and Excessive Demands, Pakistan's Mediation Hindered

Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi posted on social media on the evening of May 22, revealing the content of his conversation with UN Secretary-General Guterres. He explicitly named the United States as the main reason for the stalled negotiations, stating that the U.S. "repeatedly reneges on trust and conducts military aggression against Iran," and that their contradictory positions and excessive demands directly hinder the progress of the mediation process led by Pakistan.

This statement directly clashed with the previous hardline stance of Trump's national security team. The Trump side tends to demand that Iran completely dismantle its nuclear facilities and transfer its enriched uranium stocks, a condition that Iran has not accepted to date. Araghchi's post, in fact, is a public communication to the outside world about the responsibility for the negotiating deadlock at the most critical juncture of diplomatic mediation.

It is worth noting that Araghchi also sent a subtle signal: Despite having "strong doubts" about the U.S., Iran is still participating in the relevant diplomatic processes with a responsible and highly serious attitude, and striving for a "reasonable and fair outcome." This means that Tehran has not yet closed the door to negotiations, but the premise for continuing negotiations is that the U.S. adjusts its position.

Taking into account the background that the Chief of the Army Staff of Pakistan, Munir, and the Qatari delegation have arrived in Tehran for mediation, the current diplomatic window is still counted in hours. The market needs to closely monitor whether there will be any substantive signs of concession from both the U.S. and Iran sides within the next 24 hours.