US‑Iran talks stall
A U.S. delegation led by Vice‑President JD Vance left Pakistan after more than 20 hours of negotiations without a deal to end the war or fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz. (time.com) The talks covered both shipping security through Hormuz and constraints on Iran’s nuclear activities, but negotiators hit deadlocked sticking points. (cnn.com) After the failure, President Trump said the U.S. would “blockade” the strait and warned of fresh strikes if talks produce no results. (nytimes.com)
The first direct United States-Iran talks of the war ended on April 12 in Islamabad without a deal, and Vice President JD Vance left Pakistan after 21 hours of negotiations. (abcnews.com) Vance said the main sticking point was Iran’s refusal to make what he called an “affirmative commitment” not to seek a nuclear weapon or the tools to build one quickly. He said the United States delegation included special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and that he spoke repeatedly with President Donald Trump during the talks. (abcnews.com) Iranian media and other reports said Tehran objected to what it described as excessive United States demands, including terms tied to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters reported both sides blamed the other after the talks ended without an agreement. (uk.news.yahoo.com) The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow sea passage between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and it carries about one-fifth of the world’s petroleum liquids consumption. The United States Energy Information Administration said oil flow through the strait averaged 20 million barrels a day in 2024. (eia.gov) That makes the Islamabad talks about more than one ceasefire line. The Energy Information Administration said the strait has been effectively closed to most shipping traffic since the war began on February 28, and the International Monetary Fund said the disruption has pushed oil and gas prices sharply higher. (eia.gov) (imf.org) The ceasefire itself was already under strain before Vance boarded Air Force Two. CNBC reported Iran was still blocking most shipping traffic through Hormuz, and Australia’s ABC said Iranian and Pakistani officials also wanted Israeli attacks in Lebanon covered by the ceasefire terms, a point the United States and Israel disputed. (cnbc.com) (abc.net.au) After the talks broke up, Trump said the United States would begin blockading ships in the Strait of Hormuz and warned that more strikes could follow if diplomacy failed. The Associated Press reported the collapse left the two-week ceasefire in doubt. (apnews.com) Vance said Washington left Islamabad with what he called its “final and best offer.” For now, the war’s two biggest unresolved issues — Iran’s nuclear program and access through Hormuz — remain tied together. (cnbc.com)
