Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned on Sunday that Tehran would respond forcefully to any US military blockade of the Strait of Hormuz (a strategically vital waterway through which roughly a fifth of global oil supplies pass), declaring "we will not bow to any threats" after returning from Islamabad, where a Pakistan-mediated round of direct US-Iran dialogue ended without a breakthrough. The two sides failed to resolve deep disagreements over nuclear enrichment rights, Iranian sovereignty over the strait, and the sequencing of sanctions relief, with Iran demanding comprehensive sanctions lifting upfront while the US pushed for phased concessions tied to compliance. International calls for the fragile two-week ceasefire to be extended and talks resumed swiftly followed, with appeals from the EU, Oman, Australia, and the UK, while Iranian state media signalled Tehran was "in no hurry" for a further round of negotiations.