Iran on Saturday pushed back against what it called a “misrepresentation” of its diplomatic stance by American media, asserting that it has never declined outreach from Pakistan and remains open to talks aimed at ending the ongoing conflict.Iran’s Foreign Minister Syed Abbas Araghchi said Tehran “has never refused to go to Islamabad”, expressing appreciation for Pakistan’s mediation efforts even as negotiations remain stalled over what Iran described as unacceptable terms.The remarks come amid reports that Pakistan-led efforts to broker a ceasefire have run aground, with negotiations faltering over key conditions reportedly pushed by Washington.The Wall Street Journal, quoting mediators (Pakistan officials), had stated that the current round of efforts by regional countries led by Pakistan to reach a ceasefire between the US and Iran has reached a dead end.”Iran has officially told the mediators it isn’t willing to meet US officials in Islamabad in the coming days and that US demands are unacceptable,” the mediators were quoted as saying by the WSJ.Terming the report as a “misrepresentation” of Iran’s position, Araghchi said that Iran is “deeply grateful” to Pakistan for its diplomatic initiative.“What we care about are the terms of a conclusive and lasting end to the illegal war that is imposed on us,” he said, underlining Tehran’s insistence on a durable settlement rather than a temporary ceasefire.Islamabad had positioned itself as a potential intermediary in the escalating crisis, leveraging its regional ties to facilitate dialogue. Araghchi’s statement, including a message of goodwill towards Pakistan, appears aimed at reinforcing Tehran’s openness to diplomacy while shifting blame for the deadlock onto external actors.As the West Asia crisis deepens, the collapse of early mediation efforts underscores the fragility of backchannel diplomacy — and the growing difficulty of aligning competing strategic interests in a rapidly polarising geopolitical landscape.