Trump says another round of talks is set to extend the Iran freeze – nationally
President Donald Trump said US negotiators will head to Pakistan on Monday for another round of talks with Iran, raising hopes of extending a fragile ceasefire set to expire on Wednesday, as Washington and Tehran remain locked in a dispute over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran did not immediately confirm the talks but its main speaker, parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, said in an interview broadcast on state television late Saturday that “there will be no retreat in the field of communications,” while acknowledging the large gap that remains between the parties.
The White House said Vice President JD Vance, who led the first round of historic 21-hour face-to-face talks last weekend, will lead the US delegation to Pakistan with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Pakistani authorities have begun to tighten security in Islamabad. A regional official involved in the effort said negotiators were finalizing preparations and US security teams were on their way. The official was not named because they are not authorized to talk to the media about the preparations.
Iran on Saturday said it had received new proposals from the United States. It was not clear whether either side had changed on the issues that marred the last round of talks, including Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, its regional proxies and control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s announcement reiterated his threats against Iranian infrastructure that have drawn widespread criticism and warnings of war crimes. If Iran does not agree to the agreement proposed by the US, “the United States will remove every Power Plant, and every bridge, from Iran,” he wrote.
Iran says passage of Strait of Hormuz ‘impossible’
Ships remain unable to pass through the vital waterway amid threats from Iran and a US embargo on shipping to and from Iranian ports. Hundreds of ships were waiting at the end to be released.
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One of the world’s worst energy crises in decades threatens to deepen. About one-fifth of the world’s oil trade regularly passes through the crisis, along with important supplies of fertilizer for the world’s farmers, natural gas and humanitarian aid to places in dire need such as Afghanistan and Sudan.
Iranian officials earlier on Sunday were adamant that the ships would not pass while the US blockade remained in effect. “It is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot,” said Qalibaf.
In his letter about the talks, Trump accused Iran of violating the ceasefire by firing on ships passing through the port. Iran called the US blockade a violation, and Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei on Sunday called it an “act of aggression.”
Iran had announced that it would reopen the conflict after a 10-day truce was reached between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon on Friday. But Iran said it would continue to impose its restrictions there after Trump said the US blockade would “remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the United States.
After a brief flurry of attempted departures on Saturday, Iran shot down two Indian merchant ships that were forced to turn away, prompting India to call Iran’s ambassador over the “unfortunate incident.” India noted that Iran had previously allowed several Indian-bound ships to pass.
For the Islamic Republic, the closure of the strait – imposed after the US and Israel launched war on Iran on February 28 during negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program – is perhaps its most powerful weapon, inflicting political pain on Trump. In the United States, the embargo is depressing Iran’s already fragile economy by denying it long-term cash flows.
The war – now in its eighth week – has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,290 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in the Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 US personnel in the entire region were killed.
As many supplies to US military bases in the Gulf region come to this crisis, “Iran is determined to maintain monitoring and control of traffic on this road until the war ends,” Iran’s National Security Council said late Saturday. That means designated routes in Iran, payment of fees and issuance of travel certificates.
This council has recently served as the highest decision-making body in Iran.
Pakistan presses diplomacy and Iran issues warning
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who spoke by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday, said his country is working to “close” tensions between the US and Iran.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, on Saturday told the Associated Press that the US is “jeopardizing the entire ceasefire package” with its blockade.
Khatibzadeh said Iran would not hand over its stockpile of 970 pounds (440 kilograms) of enriched uranium to the United States, calling the idea a “non-starter.” The deputy minister did not address other proposals for enriched uranium, saying only that “we are ready to face any problems.”
– Magy reported from Cairo and Metz from Ramallah, West Bank. Munir Ahmed contributed to this report from Islamabad.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
