Motorists ride past a giant billboard of slain Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the Valiasr Square in Tehran. AFP
"The absence from the second round of talks stems from what it [Iran] called Washington's excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire," Irna reported.
However, the Fars and Tasnim news agencies, quoting anonymous sources, said Tehran had yet to decide whether it would participate and that "the overall atmosphere cannot be assessed as very positive", with Fars citing one source as saying the lifting of a US blockade on Iranian ports was a precondition for talks.
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