Iran rebuts US 'upper hand' claims as talks stall
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohamed Baqer Qalibaf outlined Iran's claimed advantages, including control of the Strait of Hormuz and threats to Bab el-Mandeb shipping, as indirect negotiations with Washington remain deadlocked.
Apr 27th 2026 · Iran
Iranian officials have pushed back against US claims of holding the upper hand in the nearly two-month standoff, as indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain stalled. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohamed Baqer Qalibaf both addressed the "cards" metaphor, arguing that Iran has significant leverage through its control of the Strait of Hormuz, threats to Bab el-Mandeb shipping via Houthi allies, and its oil infrastructure. Araghchi sarcastically suggested that summer vacation and surging fuel prices should be added to the list of Iran's leverage, while Qalibaf noted that Iran has "played in part" its options and has not yet activated its full range of responses. The standoff began after US-Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, which Tehran has justified by claiming Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. US President Donald Trump claimed in a Fox News interview that Iran cannot significantly reduce oil output and will soon run out of storage capacity, risking internal explosions, but insisted the US holds all the leverage and will not send envoys to travel to Islamabad for negotiations. Iranian officials reportedly declined to meet Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Pakistan but sent a new proposal through intermediaries suggesting reopening the Persian Gulf while postponing negotiations over Iran's uranium enrichment program, according to Axios. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz weighed in on the conflict, saying Iran is in the process of "humiliating" the United States and questioning what strategic exit the US might pursue. The ceasefire remains strained partly due to ongoing Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned group, of undermining the ceasefire. Lebanon's Health Ministry reported at least 14 deaths from Israeli strikes on Saturday, with over 2,500 people killed and 7,700 injured since Israel escalated hostilities amid the wider conflict with Iran.