Talks with Iran may resume

U.S. and Iranian officials are weighing another round of talks in Pakistan just days after weekend negotiations in Islamabad ended without a deal. (cnn.com) President Donald Trump said on April 14 that talks with Iran could resume in Pakistan “over the next two days,” while White House officials said additional discussions were under consideration. (usatoday.com) CNN reported that Trump administration officials are discussing a second in-person meeting with Iranian officials before the current ceasefire expires on April 21, though no meeting has been finalized. Vice President J.D. Vance is expected to lead the U.S. side if it happens. (cnn.com) The immediate dispute is over Iran’s nuclear work. The New York Times reported that the United States proposed a 20-year suspension of nuclear activity, while Iran countered with a plan to suspend some activity for up to five years. (nytimes.com) Those talks are unfolding alongside military pressure. Trump said the United States had begun a naval blockade covering ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz after the Islamabad talks collapsed over the weekend. (cnbc.com) The strait is a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that carries a large share of the world’s seaborne oil trade, so any disruption there can move energy prices and shipping costs quickly. (britannica.com) Iran’s nuclear file has been a sticking point for years because uranium enrichment can fuel civilian reactors at low levels or, at much higher levels, shorten the path to a bomb. The International Atomic Energy Agency said in 2025 that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile was estimated at 9,874.9 kilograms before inspectors were withdrawn during military attacks. (iaea.org) International Atomic Energy Agency reports say inspectors left Iran in June 2025 for safety reasons after Israeli and U.S. strikes hit several Iranian nuclear facilities, leaving outside monitoring far thinner than before. (iaea.org) Axios reported that the core sticking point in the Islamabad talks was whether Iran would stop enriching uranium and what would happen to its existing stockpile. Iran pushed for a shorter pause than the U.S. demand. (axios.com) For now, the diplomacy is still moving on two tracks at once: a blockade at sea and a possible return to the table in Pakistan before April 21. (bloomberg.com)