“Cannot be Resolved Overnight”: Mehbooba Mufti on Iran–US Talks | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said that talks between Iran and the United States have not failed, asserting that the process would take time and that Tehran had taken a principled stand.

Speaking to reporters in Pulwama, Mufti said the ongoing dialogue should not be seen as collapsed despite the lack of immediate breakthrough.

“I do not think the dialogue has failed. It is a complicated matter for which such a huge war was fought. If you think that this issue will be resolved overnight, it does not work like that,” she said.

Her remarks came as US and Iranian delegations reportedly left Pakistan on Sunday after failing to reach an agreement during 21-hour talks in Islamabad aimed at ending the West Asia conflict. US Vice President JD Vance reportedly said that Iran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear programme was one of the key sticking points.

Mufti said Iran had once again “shown courage and stuck to its principled stand”.

“America wanted all the gains made by Iran during this war to be handed over to it. How can that be done? I am happy that Iran has stood firm and the US had to return empty-handed,” she said, adding that the talks had not ended yet.

She further said that the ceasefire in place was for 15 days and that both sides were still rigid in their positions.

“There will be some back and forth; both sides have shown a rigid stand so far. However, the illegal lapdog, which I do not want to name, wants these talks to fail,” she said.

Mufti added that the world, however, wanted the dialogue to succeed and the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened, warning that tensions were affecting global energy markets.

“This has caused energy problems for the world. The prices of petrol and gas have gone up; trade has been hit severely. So the talks must succeed and we all should pray for it,” she said.

In a related post on X, Mufti said US President Donald Trump was being misled about what could be achieved through negotiations.

The inconclusive Islamabad talks once again show the US has underestimated Iran. How could anyone expect that after such immense sacrifice innocent lives lost, top leadership martyred, thousands of civilians killed Iran would simply barter away its leverage?

If Trump believes…

— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) April 12, 2026

“The inconclusive Islamabad talks once again show the US has underestimated Iran. How could anyone expect that after such immense sacrifice, innocent lives lost, top leadership martyred, thousands of civilians killed, Iran would simply barter away its leverage?” she wrote.

“If Trump believes what couldn’t be achieved through bombardment will be handed over at the negotiating table, he’s being misled yet again just as when he was told Iran would fall in two days,” she added.