US-Iran ceasefire talks in Pakistan uncertain as two-week truce nears expiry

Efforts to arrange last-minute ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran looked shaky on Tuesday. A two-week truce was due to end on Wednesday. Both sides said they were ready to restart fighting without a deal. Pakistan said it was still waiting to hear if Iran would join new meetings in Islamabad.

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Earlier, two regional officials said Washington and Tehran had signalled a second round. The officials spoke anonymously as they lacked briefing authority. They said US Vice President JD Vance would lead the US side. They also said Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf would be the top negotiator.

US-Iran ceasefire talks face fresh uncertainty

A White House official said Vance stayed in Washington on Tuesday. Vance also had policy meetings set for Wednesday morning. The official spoke anonymously due to restrictions. The vice president’s office and the White House did not reply to messages. The questions asked if Vance still plans to go to Pakistan.

Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, wrote on X that Iran had not formally confirmed participation. The post said confirmation was awaited as the truce neared its end. Iranian state television also carried a message. It said that no delegation from Iran has visited Islamabad … so far.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told Iran’s state TV there was no final decision. Baghaei pointed to "unacceptable actions by the US\". The comments appeared to refer to a recent US blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistan has urged both sides to return to Islamabad for talks.

US-Iran ceasefire deadline draws Trump warning

US President Donald Trump warned that \"lots of bombs will start going off\" without an agreement. Iran’s chief negotiator said Tehran holds new battlefield cards not yet revealed. Both sides kept a hard public line as the deadline approached. The ceasefire began April 8 and was set to expire Wednesday.

Trump said the truce could continue if talks restart. However, Trump rejected an extension in an interview on CNBC. \"Well, I dont want to do that.\" Trump also said, \"We dont have that much time.\" Trump added that Iran had a choice and they have to negotiate.

White House officials have said Vance would lead the American delegation. Iran has not said who would represent Tehran if talks go ahead. Pakistan said the meetings would be among the highest-level contacts since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The first round on April 11 and 12 ended without an agreement.

US-Iran ceasefire strained by tanker boarding and blockade

On Tuesday, the US said its forces boarded an oil tanker earlier sanctioned. The Pentagon said US forces boarded the M/T Tifani without incident. The US did not state where the boarding happened. Ship-tracking data showed the Tifani in the Indian Ocean, between Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

The Pentagon statement said international waters are not a refuge for sanctioned vessels. On Sunday, the US military seized an Iranian container ship. It was the first interception under a blockade of Iranian ports. Iran’s joint military command called the armed boarding piracy. Iran also said it violated the ceasefire.

The US imposed the blockade to pressure Tehran over the Strait of Hormuz. The strait carries 20 per cent of the world’s natural gas and crude oil in peacetime. Iran’s grip has pushed prices higher. Brent crude traded near USD 95 per barrel on Tuesday, up over 30 per cent since Feb 28.

Feb 28 was the day Israel and the US attacked Iran, starting the war. Before the war, the Strait of Hormuz was fully open to shipping. Trump has demanded vessels should pass unimpeded again. Iran said it received new US proposals over the weekend. Iran also suggested major gaps remained.

Points that stalled the last talks included Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme and regional proxies. The Strait of Hormuz was also a key dispute. Qalibaf accused Washington of seeking capitulation. \"We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats,\" Qalibaf wrote in an X post.

US-Iran ceasefire talks coincide with Pakistan diplomacy

Pakistan said Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met the acting US ambassador in Islamabad on Tuesday. Dar urged a ceasefire extension, Pakistan said. Dar also met China’s ambassador. China is a key trading partner with Iran. Pakistani officials said they remained confident Iran would still send a delegation.

Security was tightened across Pakistan’s capital ahead of possible talks. Authorities deployed thousands of personnel, officials said. Patrols also increased on routes leading to the airport. Pakistan has played host as the truce neared expiry. Officials continued preparations while awaiting Iran’s final confirmation.

US-Iran ceasefire backdrop includes Israel-Lebanon developments

Israel’s military said it jailed two soldiers for 30 days on Tuesday. Israel also removed the soldiers from combat duty. The punishment followed the smashing of a Jesus Christ statue in Lebanon. One soldier used a sledgehammer, Israel said. The other filmed it, and the statue was replaced.

Separately, officials said Israel-Lebanon diplomatic talks were set to resume Thursday in Washington. An Israeli, a Lebanese and a US official spoke anonymously about the talks. The Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors met last week. Officials described it as the first direct diplomatic talks in decades.

Israel said the aim is to disarm Hezbollah and reach a peace agreement with Lebanon. A 10-day ceasefire began Friday in Lebanon. Fighting there started two days after US and Israeli strikes on Iran. The Lebanon fighting has killed more than 2,290 people, according to figures cited.

Since the war began, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran, authorities said. Israel has reported 23 deaths, plus more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon were killed. Thirteen US service members across the region were also killed as violence spread.

As Wednesday’s deadline approached, Pakistan kept plans in place for possible US-Iran talks. Washington and Tehran continued trading warnings and demands. Vance remained in Washington while Iran withheld a final decision. Without a confirmed meeting, the April 8 ceasefire risked ending, with both sides saying fighting could resume.

With inputs from PTI