Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.
TRANSCRIPT
Hundreds of negotiators and twenty-one hours of talks — to end six weeks of deadly fighting that have roiled the global economy and sent oil prices soaring.
And little in the way of progress.
"What has unfolded over the past four hours of talks shows that, fundamentally, the Americans did not come for genuine negotiations. Rather, they sought to reimpose their will on the Iranian nation, but this time through the channel of negotiations and in the language of diplomacy."
That was the head of the Parliament’s National Security Commission of Iran, Ebrahim Azizi, who says Unites States officials were simply not willing to negotiate at the high-level peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan.
The dispute over Iran's nuclear ambitions goes back two decades, while disputes over control of the Strait of Hormuz and compensation from the U-S over its attack on Iran have made talks even more fraught.
A U-S official said the two sides failed to agree on U-S demands that Iran halt funding to Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, fully reopen the strait, end all uranium enrichment, dismantle its major enrichment sites, and surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
While Mr Azizi says Iran's stance was clear: the U-S cannot dictate terms, and it will not give in.
"We are engaging with you from a position of distrust, and we are pursuing the interests of the Iranian people - on the nuclear issue, enrichment, the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions, compensation, and the damages that have been inflicted on us. When the Americans see such resolve, naturally they cannot impose their demands through negotiations. They step back - as the US Vice President, Mr. (JD) Vance, reportedly said, we achieved nothing; we are returning."
For now, it seems U-S President Donald Trump is making the next move, in pledging to mount a U-S Navy blockade of ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz and all Iranian ports.
The blockade is expected to start at midnight on Monday Australian eastern time.
It's not yet clear how this blockade will work, though Mr Trump told Fox News the goal was to ensure all ships could transit.
“It's called all in and all out, there'll be a time when we'll have them all come in and all come out, but it won't be a percentage, it won't t be a friend of yours, like a country that's your ally or a country that's your friend. It’s all or nothing, and that won't be in too long a distance."
He added that the blockade, which aims to ensure Iran cannot profit from or control the waterway, will be assisted by other nations — though Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed that Australia has not been asked to help.
In recent weeks, the Islamic Republic has been selectively choosing which nationality ships can pass through.
Speaking after the talks, Iran said the strait remained under Iran’s full control and was open for non-military vessels, but military ones approaching will be considered a ceasefire breach and dealt with harshly and decisively.
The U-S blockade will likely create further damage to shipping and oil and gas facilities, threatening global supply chains and placing greater upwards pressure on global fuel prices.
In Australia, a new ad campaign is already urging motorists to limit fuel use in a bid to shore up supply.
Furthermore, concerns the fragile ceasefire between the U-S and Iran may collapse are mounting — especially while Israel continues to attack Lebanon, with Iran threatening a strong response.
However, Israel insists the current truce does not apply to its military operations targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Visiting troops who invaded southern Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the war in Lebanon will continue.
"We have done tremendous work, achieved enormous accomplishments – but there is still more to do, and we are doing it. One of the things we see here is that we have essentially changed the face of the Middle East. Our enemies – Iran and the axis of evil – came to destroy us, and now they are simply fighting for their survival."
Nevertheless, Mr Netanyahu has agreed to hold direct talks with Lebanon for the first time in 30 years, due to take place on Tuesday in Washington.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam says he is working to stop the Israel-Hezbollah war and to ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
"We will continue to work to stop this war, to ensure the Israeli withdrawal from all our lands, the return of all the prisoners, to rebuild our destroyed villages and towns, and the safe return of the displaced.”
Lebanon's health ministry says the war's overall death toll has risen to 2,055, while Iran's Legal Medicine Organization says 3,375 people in Iran have so far been killed in the war.
