US-Iran ceasefire talks to resume in Pakistan as both sides trade warnings

Shafaq News- Washington/ Tehran (Updated at 9:49)

A second round of diplomatic negotiations between the United States and Iran is planned for Wednesday in Islamabad, even as both governments publicly signal hardening positions that could collapse the talks before they begin.

US Vice President JD Vance and senior American officials —including Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner— are expected to depart for Pakistan to take part in the negotiations. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said there were no plans yet to attend the talks, while stopping short of ruling out participation.

Reuters, citing a Pakistani source, reported that US President Donald Trump may participate in person or virtually should an agreement be reached during the ongoing talks. The source said the atmosphere was positive and that discussions were proceeding on schedule, with signs of progress in the negotiations. Trump said Monday he is "highly unlikely" to renew the ceasefire, which is set to expire on Wednesday. Trump told Bloomberg News that the naval blockade on Iranian ports would remain in place until Tehran agrees to a deal, while projecting confidence that Iranian officials would nonetheless return to the negotiating table.

Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, Iran's chief negotiator and speaker of the Iranian parliament, wrote early Tuesday that his government would not negotiate under the "shadow of threats," adding that the Islamic Republic had been preparing what he described as new battlefield options.

The war, which began on February 28, has killed at least 3,375 people in Iran, according to the US-based HRANA.

ترامپ با اعمال محاصره و نقض آتش‌بس می‌خواهد تا به خیال خود این میز مذاکره را به میز تسلیم تبدیل کند یا جنگ‌افروزی مجدد را موجّه سازد. مذاکره زیر سایهٔ تهدید را نمی‌پذیریم و در دو هفتهٔ اخیر برای رو کردن کارت‌های جدید در میدان نبرد آماده شده‌ایم.

— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) April 20, 2026