US aware of deadlock situation after 1st round of talks with Iran — Russia’s intel chief

KALININGRAD, April 15. /TASS/. Results of the first round of talks between the United States and Iran in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad earlier this month indicate that Washington is aware of a possible deadlock situation, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin said on Wednesday. "The first round of negotiations in Islamabad suggests that the opposite side [the United States] has a certain understanding that the situation may end in a deadlock," Naryshkin told journalists after the 25th joint meeting of the Boards of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and Belarus’ State Security Committee (KGB). The meeting between the SVR and KGB Boards took place earlier in the day in Russia’s westernmost Kaliningrad Region. Iran and the United States held several rounds of talks in Islamabad on April 11. The Iranian delegation was led by parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, while Vice President JD Vance headed the US delegation. Both Tehran and Washington said following the negotiations that no agreement on finding a long-term solution to the conflict had been reached due to a range of disagreements. Details regarding a potential new round of talks remain unavailable. On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran. The Islamic Republic closed the Strait of Hormuz to the ships associated with the United States, Israel and the countries that supported aggression against Iran. On April 7, Washington announced a two-week mutual ceasefire with Tehran. According to the Emergency Medical Services Organization of Iran, over 3,380 Iranian nationals were killed as a result of the US-Israeli strikes in more than 45 days of the war.