U.S.-Iran talks fail
Marathon talks between the U.S. and Iran in Islamabad ended without a deal, leaving both the future of Iran’s nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz unresolved. (nytimes.com) President Trump said the U.S. would begin blockading the Strait of Hormuz after the breakdown, a step that would push control of a key energy chokepoint toward direct confrontation. (bbc.com) The negotiations ran through the night and covered both the strait and Tehran’s nuclear activities, but fundamental sticking points — sequencing of de‑escalation, terms of any ceasefire and Iran’s nuclear ambitions — remained unresolved. (aljazeera.com)
The United States and Iran ended more than 20 hours of talks in Islamabad on April 12 without a deal, leaving both the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program unresolved. (nytimes.com) Vice President JD Vance said the negotiations failed after Tehran refused Washington’s terms, while Iranian officials said the talks were “intensive” and left open the possibility of more discussions. (apnews.com) Within hours, President Donald Trump said the United States Navy would begin blockading the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that handles a large share of the world’s oil and gas shipments. (bbc.com) The immediate dispute was not only about stopping military action. The talks also tried to settle whether ships would move freely through the strait and what limits Iran would accept on its nuclear activities. (aljazeera.com) The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s main energy chokepoints: in 2024, about 20 million barrels a day of oil passed through it, equal to roughly one-fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption. Around one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas trade also crossed the strait. (eia.gov) That is why the talks in Pakistan drew attention far beyond Washington and Tehran. The New York Times reported that the discussions ran through the night and focused on fully reopening the strait and ending the war, but did not produce an agreement before Vance left Islamabad. (nytimes.com) One sticking point was sequencing. Al Jazeera reported that the two sides were divided over which steps would come first on de-escalation, the terms of any ceasefire, and the future scope of Iran’s nuclear program. (aljazeera.com) Another was time. The Washington Post reported that the failed talks now leave open what happens when the current two-week truce expires on April 22, 2026. (washingtonpost.com) Pakistan, which hosted the meeting, urged both sides to keep honoring the ceasefire even after the breakdown. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said it was “imperative” that the parties continue to uphold that commitment. (bostonglobe.com) For now, the diplomacy has stopped, the waterway’s status is still unsettled, and Trump has moved the crisis from overnight talks in Islamabad to a threatened naval confrontation at the mouth of the Gulf. (apnews.com)
