Talks Appear Collapsed

U.S.-Iran diplomacy appears stalled again, with Tehran saying it has no plan to return to Islamabad as a two-week ceasefire nears its April 22 deadline. (apnews.com) The first round of talks in Pakistan ran about 21 hours and ended early on April 12 without an agreement. Vice President JD Vance said Iran would not give assurances it would forgo the tools needed for a nuclear weapon, while Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Washington had to decide whether it could “gain our trust.” (pbs.org) Pakistan still prepared for a second round. State media and police-source reports said roughly 20,000 police officers, backed by hundreds of elite commandos and snipers, were deployed across Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and major hotels were requisitioned for visiting delegations. (english.news.cn) Tehran has publicly tied any return to talks to U.S. actions at sea and at the table. Iranian officials said Washington’s naval blockade, the seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship, and what they called “excessive demands” showed the U.S. was not serious about diplomacy. (tasnimnews.com) Washington’s core demand is broader than a ceasefire. U.S. officials say the war that began on February 28 was meant to eliminate Iran’s nuclear and missile programs and curb support for allied armed groups, and Pakistani officials told The Associated Press the U.S. plan also calls for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. (abcnews.com) Iran’s position starts from the opposite end. Tehran says it wants an end to the war, compensation for damage, continued control over Hormuz, and recognition of a civilian nuclear program that includes uranium enrichment, which it says is not the same as building a bomb. (france24.com) That sequencing dispute has become the center of the deadlock. U.S.-aligned accounts have pushed for Iran to hand over enriched uranium first, while Iranian officials and state-linked outlets have argued sanctions relief and an end to coercive measures must come before any bigger nuclear concession. (aljazeera.com) The talks were never only about nuclear files. The ceasefire followed a 40-day war that, according to Associated Press reporting carried by PBS and ABC, damaged infrastructure across several Middle Eastern countries and sent oil markets reeling after disruption around Hormuz, the route for about one-fifth of global oil flows. (pbs.org) As of April 21, Pakistan is still urging both sides back to the table, U.S. officials are signaling readiness to travel, and Iran is signaling the opposite. If that gap holds through April 22, the truce will be left without the diplomatic bridge Islamabad was trying to build. (apnews.com)