World
Conflicting signals, rising tensions and military actions cloud prospects for renewed negotiations
By Associated Press Published: 2026-04-21T21:55:00+04:00 2 min read
Security personnel stand guard at a checkpoint near the Serena Hotel, that hosted the first round of US-Iran negotiations during the Middle East war, at the Red Zone area in Islamabad on April 21, 2026, amid heightened security measures ahead of anticipated second round of US-Iran peace talks.
Islamabad: Last‑minute ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran appeared uncertain on Tuesday as a two‑week truce neared expiration and both countries warned that, without an agreement, they were prepared to resume fighting.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, expected to lead U.S. negotiators if talks continued in Pakistan, remained in Washington on Tuesday, according to a White House official. Pakistan, which has been urging both sides to return to Islamabad, said it was still awaiting confirmation on whether Iran would participate.
Earlier in the day, two regional officials said Washington and Tehran had signalled they would hold a second round of talks, with Vance leading the U.S. team and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf serving as Tehran’s top negotiator. Both spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to brief reporters.
However, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar later said on X that Iran had not formally confirmed its participation. The ceasefire was set to expire on Wednesday.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told state television that there had been “no final decision” on attending talks because of “unacceptable actions” by the United States, apparently referring to a recent blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
Vance had policy meetings scheduled at the White House on Wednesday morning, a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The vice president’s office and the White House did not immediately respond to inquiries about whether he still planned to travel to Pakistan.
Both sides remained entrenched rhetorically. U.S. President Donald Trump warned that “lots of bombs” would “start going off” if no deal was reached before the ceasefire deadline, while Iran’s chief negotiator said Tehran had “new cards on the battlefield” yet to be revealed.
The ceasefire, which began on April 8, could be extended if talks resume, though Trump said in a CNBC interview on Tuesday, “Well, I don’t want to do that.”
“We don’t have that much time,” Trump said, adding that Iran “had a choice” and “they have to negotiate.”
White House officials have said Vance would lead the American delegation, but Iran has not confirmed who it might send. Iranian state television reported Tuesday that “no delegation from Iran has visited Islamabad … so far.”
On Tuesday, the United States said its forces boarded an oil tanker previously sanctioned for smuggling Iranian crude oil in Asia. The Pentagon said U.S. forces boarded the M/T 'Tifani' “without incident.”
The military did not disclose where the vessel was boarded, though ship‑tracking data placed it in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and Indonesia. The Pentagon added that “international waters are not a refuge for sanctioned vessels.”