Islamabad talks collapse
U.S. and Iranian negotiators ended marathon talks in Islamabad without reaching a deal after more than 20 hours of negotiations. (apnews.com) The U.S. says Iran refused terms that would bar it from developing a nuclear weapon, leaving key issues — including the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme — unresolved. (time.com) President Trump then publicly warned the U.S. could “blockade” the Strait of Hormuz and threatened fresh strikes if diplomacy fails, signaling a shift toward overt escalation threats. (nytimes.com)
United States and Iranian negotiators left Islamabad on Sunday without a deal after about 21 hours of talks, putting a two-week ceasefire under new strain. (apnews.com) Vice President JD Vance said Iran rejected Washington’s terms, which he described as a final package aimed at closing off any path to a nuclear weapon. Iranian officials said the American side made excessive demands and blamed Washington for the breakdown. (nytimes.com) (aljazeera.com) The meeting in Pakistan was the first direct face-to-face session between the two governments since the war began more than six weeks ago. Pakistan hosted the talks in Islamabad as both sides tried to turn a temporary ceasefire announced on April 8 into a broader settlement. (abcnews.com) (apnews.com) Two issues sat at the center of the deadlock: Iran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is a narrow shipping lane between Iran and Oman that carries a large share of the world’s seaborne oil, so any threat there quickly hits energy markets and shipping routes. (time.com) (cnbc.com) President Donald Trump escalated the pressure after the talks ended, saying the United States would “blockade” the Strait of Hormuz and intercept ships that had paid tolls to Iran. He also warned that fresh strikes were possible if diplomacy failed. (nytimes.com) (cbsnews.com) Trump had already said on April 11 that United States forces were “clearing out” the strait as negotiators gathered in Islamabad. Iranian officials denied the American account and treated control of Hormuz as leverage in the talks. (time.com) (usatoday.com) The ceasefire itself is limited: it paused open fighting for two weeks, but it did not settle the nuclear dispute, shipping access, or the wider regional conflict. That left negotiators trying to solve the hardest questions under a deadline measured in days, not months. (apnews.com) (abc.net.au) For Washington, the public line is that any settlement must stop Iran from being able to build a nuclear weapon. For Tehran, the public line is that it will not accept terms it sees as dictation after weeks of war and bombardment. (nytimes.com) (usnews.com) By Sunday afternoon, the delegations had gone home and the ceasefire was still standing, but without a roadmap from Islamabad. The next test is whether threats around Hormuz turn into military action before negotiators find a way back to the table. (reuters.com) (apnews.com)
