Regional intermediaries are actively working to bring U.S. and Iranian officials back to the negotiating table after marathon discussions in Islamabad concluded without a settlement, officials familiar with the talks said.
Those officials indicated the door to further diplomacy has not closed, and a second round of talks may be arranged within days. At the same time, regional governments are conferring with Washington on the possibility of extending a fragile two-week ceasefire that was announced late Tuesday.
The Islamabad meeting represented the highest-level in-person contact between U.S. and Iranian representatives since 1979. Over the course of Saturday, the two sides engaged in 21 hours of direct discussions that ultimately ended without a deal. Vice President JD Vance said Washington had set out its conditions clearly, but that Tehran had declined to accept them.
Officials involved in the dialogue outlined the key U.S. demands: a complete end to Iran's uranium enrichment; dismantling of major nuclear facilities; transfer of highly enriched material; reopening the Strait of Hormuz without tolls; achievement of broader regional peace; and a halt to support for proxy groups, including Hezbollah and the Houthis. Iranian officials countered by proposing either limited enrichment or a reduction in their stockpile of enriched uranium, but the parties were unable to close the gaps between their positions.
In Tehran, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf publicly rejected pressure following an announcement by President Trump of a U.S. blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. Addressing the U.S. president directly on social media, Qalibaf declared, "If you fight, we will fight."
The United States said it will begin enforcing a blockade on maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports starting at 10 AM ET on April 13. U.S. Central Command stated the blockade will apply to vessels of all nations that call at Iranian ports and coastal areas, including facilities along the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
What remains unclear - Negotiators have not agreed on the specifics of any tradeoffs between Tehran's limited-enrichment proposals and Washington's demand for a full cessation of enrichment. The timing and participants for any follow-up talks are similarly unresolved.