Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has told French President Emmanuel Macron that the United States’ “lack of goodwill” and “maximalist positions” prevented the finalisation of an agreement during the recent U.S.–Iran talks in Islamabad, according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA, which reported the exchange on 14 April 2026. In a phone call with Macron, Pezeshkian stressed that Tehran had approached the Islamabad negotiations with seriousness and commitment, and argued that only a shift in Washington’s stance would open the way to a durable deal.
Pezeshkian, as reported by IRNA, recalled past experiences where Iran claims the United States violated previous agreements, and warned that fresh U.S. maximalism risked prolonging the current war‑related tensions in the region. He also linked the outcome in Islamabad to broader security issues, including the situation in Lebanon and the impact of the conflict on sea‑lanes such as the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian president urged Europe to push for conditions that give both sides “real guarantees” rather than ones that heavily favour U.S. demands, framing Tehran’s position as one of defensive caution instead of outright intransigence.
Macron, in open‑source statements, has called the Islamabad talks a “last chance” for a durable de‑escalation and urged both sides to avoid returning to full‑scale hostilities. French officials have publicly backed a diplomatic solution but have also voiced concern that Washington’s insistence on sweeping nuclear and missile‑related concessions could paralyse the talks. The exchange between Pezeshkian and Macron, as relayed through IRNA, underlines the widening gap in how Tehran and Washington narrate the deadlock, even as international actors press for a second round of negotiations later this week.