Islamabad talks collapse
U.S. peace talks with Iran in Islamabad collapsed after more than 20 hours of negotiations and the U.S. delegation led by Vice‑President J.D. Vance left without a deal. The impasse reflected sharp differences over Iran's red lines — sanctions relief, a full ceasefire and control of the Strait of Hormuz — while American officials insisted on restrictions aimed at preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. President Trump warned of fresh strikes if talks failed and reportedly discussed a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after the breakdown. (apnews.com/live/iran-war-israel-trump-04-12-2026; moneycontrol.com; www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04/12/world/iran-war-trump-talks-pakistan)
The United States and Iran ended more than 20 hours of talks in Islamabad without a deal, and Vice President J.D. Vance left Pakistan early Sunday. (apnews.com) Vance said the United States had put forward terms meant to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, and said Tehran “chose not to accept our terms” before the American delegation boarded Air Force Two. (apnews.com) Iran came into the weekend with four demands it described as non-negotiable: full control of the Strait of Hormuz, war reparations, release of frozen assets and a complete ceasefire across the region, including Lebanon and Gaza. (moneycontrol.com) The central dispute was over what peace would actually require. Washington wanted immediate limits on Iran’s nuclear program and unrestricted shipping through the strait, while Iranian officials tied any reopening of the waterway to a final settlement and broader sanctions relief. (nytimes.com) Those talks mattered because the ceasefire now holding is only two weeks old and still fragile. The failure in Islamabad left open the risk that fighting could resume and that shipping through one of the world’s most important oil routes could remain disrupted. (apnews.com) The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that links the Persian Gulf to the open sea. It carries a large share of the world’s oil and gas shipments, which is why control of the passage became one of the hardest issues in Islamabad. (apnews.com; usatoday.com) President Donald Trump responded after the breakdown by threatening fresh strikes and saying the United States would begin blockading ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz. CBS reported that he announced the move in a Truth Social post on Sunday. (apnews.com; cbsnews.com) Pakistan had cast itself as mediator and hosted both delegations in Islamabad, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying his government would continue trying to build momentum toward “meaningful results.” By Sunday, both the American and Iranian teams were gone. (moneycontrol.com; nytimes.com) The immediate question is whether the two sides return to talks before the ceasefire breaks down. For now, the Islamabad meeting closed with no joint statement, no timetable for a new round and no agreement on the two issues that drove the deadlock: Iran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz. (apnews.com; nytimes.com)
