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Prime Minister Sharif extended his regional diplomatic tour to Turkey on Friday, meeting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. Sharif briefed Erdoğan on Pakistan's efforts to extend the ceasefire and resume talks, with the Turkish president expressing his strong support and encouragement for Islamabad's peace efforts. The two leaders agreed on the importance of making use of the current diplomatic window to achieve a durable and lasting regional peace.
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President Trump raised the prospect Thursday of travelling to Islamabad himself to sign a deal, saying "if the deal is signed in Islamabad, I might go." Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn, Trump claimed Iran had agreed to hand over its enriched uranium stockpile — which he referred to as "nuclear dust" — and had provided what he described as a "very powerful statement" that it would not develop nuclear weapons "beyond 20 years." Trump added that a second round of US-Iran talks could take place as soon as this weekend, and that if no deal is reached before the ceasefire expires, "fighting will resume." Separately, Prime Minister Sharif extended his regional diplomacy to Qatar on Thursday, with talks in Doha focused on advancing the peace process.
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Field Marshal Asim Munir arrived in Tehran on Wednesday evening heading a high-level Pakistani delegation that also included Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, with Iranian state media confirming he met Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other officials. Araghchi welcomed Munir publicly on X, expressing gratitude for Pakistan's hosting of the original dialogue and reaffirming a shared commitment to regional peace and stability. The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied reports that Washington had formally requested an extension of the ceasefire set to expire April 22, while saying a second round of talks would "very likely" take place in Pakistan and that the administration "feels good about the prospects of a deal." Pakistani mediators are said to be hopeful of a breakthrough on Iran's nuclear programme before the truce deadline, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif simultaneously conducting a four-day Gulf tour, beginning in Saudi Arabia, as part of the broader diplomatic push.
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Iran's military escalated pressure on Wednesday by threatening to shut down the Red Sea trade unless the United States lifted its naval blockade on Iranian ports, warning the ceasefire itself was at risk. The threat coincided with the arrival of a Pakistani delegation in Tehran carrying a new message from Washington. Trump, in a Fox News interview, said the war was "very close to over" and suggested in a separate Sky News phone call that a deal could come before King Charles III's visit to Washington later this month.
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Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed Wednesday that diplomatic exchanges between Tehran and Washington have continued through Pakistani intermediaries since the Islamabad delegation returned home on Sunday. Baqaei said Iran was expecting a Pakistani delegation in Tehran later that day as a continuation of the talks, describing several messages already exchanged. He characterised Tehran's right to enrich uranium as "indisputable" while indicating the level of enrichment remains "negotiable," and said some US demands put forward during the Islamabad talks were "unreasonable and unrealistic." Iran's frozen overseas assets have also emerged as a sticking point, with parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf having demanded their release before negotiations could proceed — a position Washington has not publicly accepted.
A new round of ceasefire negotiations between the United States and Iran could restart within days, according to statements from US President Donald Trump and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. Trump told a reporter in Islamabad — where the first round of talks was held over the weekend — that she should "stay there" because "something could be happening over the next two days." Guterres, speaking after meeting Pakistan's deputy prime minister, said it was "highly probable" that talks to end the US-Israel war on Iran would resume.
The diplomacy is centred on Islamabad, where Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has emerged as a key mediator. Trump praised Munir — whom he has previously called his "favourite field marshal" — for doing a "great job" in arranging the talks, and said his confidence in Munir made a return to the Pakistani capital more likely. A Pakistani official confirmed that talks were expected to restart soon, though possibly a day or two later than Trump suggested, adding simply: "The game is on."
The first round of negotiations, which lasted some 21 hours, broke down on Sunday when US Vice-President JD Vance walked out, saying Iran had not made an "affirmative commitment" to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons. The central sticking point was reportedly a US demand for a 20-year suspension of Iran's uranium enrichment programme, while Iran was offering a shorter moratorium of under ten years. The fate of Iran's existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium — buried deep underground and close to weapons-grade purity — also remained unresolved. An Iranian official accused the US delegation of making "maximalist demands," declaring: "Iran did not surrender at the battlefield, neither will it surrender behind the table."
The stakes extend far beyond the negotiating table. The Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes — has been largely closed since Iran restricted access following the US-Israeli military campaign that began on 28 February. The US has responded with a naval blockade on ships using Iranian ports in the Gulf, pushing crude oil prices above $100 a barrel, though prices dipped to around $95 on Tuesday after reports of a possible second round of talks.
Diplomacy is intensifying on multiple fronts. Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey gathered in Islamabad on Tuesday to discuss next steps with Pakistani counterparts. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is due to visit Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar to build broader support for the peace process and address Iran's demands for war reparations. Meanwhile, Israel and Lebanon have begun separate, unprecedented negotiations in Washington over cross-border conflict involving Hezbollah, which sided with Iran and has said it will not be bound by any Lebanese government agreements. The two-week ceasefire is set to expire on 22 April, adding urgency to efforts to get both sides back to the table.
This article was automatically compiled by AI from the sources above. It may contain inaccuracies. Always read the original sources for the full context.
