President Donald Trump said Sunday that U.S. officials will travel to Pakistan for another round of Pakistan Iran talks, even as Iran keeps the Strait of Hormuz closed and tensions remain high over Washington’s naval blockade of Iranian ports. The new round is expected to begin Monday in Islamabad, just days before the current ceasefire deadline.
The White House said Vice President JD Vance will lead the U.S. delegation, joined by envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Reuters and AP both reported that Pakistan had already tightened security in Islamabad, with U.S. advance teams on the ground and visible preparations around the site of the talks. Iran did not immediately confirm it would attend, and Reuters reported that Iranian state media said no final decision had been made while the U.S. blockade remains in place.
Iranian officials, however, signaled that diplomacy is not over. AP reported that parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, described as Iran’s chief negotiator, said there would be “no retreat in the field of diplomacy,” while also acknowledging that major gaps remain. Reuters similarly reported that Qalibaf said some progress had been made but that the two sides were still far apart on nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan Iran talks return under pressure
The renewed Pakistan Iran talks come after the first round of direct negotiations in Islamabad failed to produce a deal on the core disputes. According to Reuters and AP, the main sticking points remain Iran’s nuclear program, regional proxy activity and the status of the Strait of Hormuz, which before the war carried roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil trade. The current ceasefire is due to expire Wednesday, which gives both sides little time to show real movement.
Trump coupled the diplomatic announcement with a new warning. Reuters and AP reported that he said the United States would strike Iranian power plants and bridges if Tehran rejects the American terms. That language added more pressure to an already unstable situation, because it suggested Washington is trying to negotiate while openly threatening a broader military escalation if talks break down again.
Pakistan’s role has become more important as the crisis has deepened. AP reported that Pakistani mediators were still trying to bridge differences between Washington and Tehran, while local authorities in Islamabad moved to secure the capital ahead of the expected meetings. Reuters reported that cargo planes carrying security equipment landed at Nur Khan air base and that restrictions were imposed on transport routes through the city.
Strait of Hormuz closure remains a central obstacle
The biggest immediate obstacle is the Strait of Hormuz closure. Reuters reported that Iran had briefly said Friday it would reopen the waterway, only to reverse course Saturday after Trump refused to lift the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports. By Sunday, the strait was still shut, and Reuters said marine traffic data showed shipping was effectively at a standstill apart from a brief attempt by two liquefied petroleum gas tankers to approach before being turned back.
AP reported that hundreds of vessels were waiting at both ends of the waterway for clearance. It also reported that Qalibaf said ships would not pass through the strait while Iranian vessels remained blocked, stating that it was impossible for others to use Hormuz while Iran could not. That position makes the waterway not just a military flashpoint, but a negotiating tool Tehran appears determined to keep in play.
The stakes are global. AP reported that one-fifth of the world’s oil trade normally passes through the strait, along with natural gas, fertilizer supplies and humanitarian cargoes bound for countries such as Afghanistan and Sudan. Reuters reported that last Friday’s brief reopening announcement triggered a sharp drop in oil prices and a rally in stock markets, only for that optimism to fade when Iran closed the passage again.
Iran accuses the U.S. of violating the ceasefire
Iran is framing the blockade as the original violation. AP reported that Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei called the U.S. blockade an act of aggression on Sunday. In AP’s live coverage, Baghaei also described the blockade as a war crime, arguing that it imposes collective punishment on the Iranian population. Tehran’s message is that Washington cannot demand open passage for global shipping while denying Iran access to its own coastline and ports.
Washington is making the opposite argument. Trump has said the U.S. blockade will remain in force until Tehran reaches a broader agreement with the United States. In practical terms, that means each side is trying to use maritime pressure as leverage before the next meeting. Iran is keeping Hormuz restricted. The United States is keeping Iran’s ports under blockade. Neither side has yet shown a willingness to give up its strongest point of pressure before getting something larger in return.
That mutual pressure is what makes the next round in Pakistan so difficult. Iran says it still wants diplomacy, but it is refusing to separate diplomacy from the blockade question. The United States says it is still willing to negotiate, but it has tied any real relief to a wider deal that would go beyond shipping and into the nuclear file. Those positions are not impossible to reconcile, but they are still far apart.
What to watch in Islamabad
The first question is whether Iran actually sends a delegation. AP said Tehran had received new U.S. proposals, but Reuters reported there was still no immediate Iranian confirmation of participation. If Iran does attend, the meetings are likely to focus on whether there is any narrow formula that can keep the ceasefire alive past Wednesday while deferring the hardest disputes to later rounds.
The second question is whether anything changes on Hormuz before or during the talks. As long as the strait remains closed and the U.S. blockade remains in place, every ship waiting in the Gulf becomes a reminder that the diplomatic clock is running out. Reuters reported that the weekend closure had already renewed fears of more market volatility when trading resumes.
The third question is whether both sides are trying to negotiate an actual settlement or simply manage the next phase of the crisis. The public signals point in both directions. Trump is sending negotiators but also threatening new strikes. Iranian officials are saying diplomacy remains open but are keeping one of the world’s most important shipping lanes effectively shut. That leaves Islamabad as the next test of whether this standoff can still be contained through talks rather than another escalation at sea or on land.
