U.S.-Iran Talks End 14 Hours, Disagreements Persist
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- Iran said that after 14 hours of talks in Islamabad, the negotiations concluded and technical experts will exchange documents, though differences remain.
- U.S. officials — Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner — met with Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and foreign minister Abbas Araqchi for two hours before a break.
- Pakistan locked down Islamabad with thousands of paramilitary personnel and army troops as it mediated the talks, marking a dramatic shift from its prior diplomatic isolation.
- U.S. military reported that two warships had passed through the Strait of Hormuz and that conditions were being set to clear mines, while Iranian state media denied any U.S. ships had transited the waterway.
- Iranian delegation arrived in black mourning attire, carrying shoes and bags of students killed in a U.S. bombing of a school, and the Pentagon is investigating that strike.
- Iran demanded control of the Strait of Hormuz, payment of war reparations, a regional ceasefire including Lebanon, and transit fees, while also seeking release of frozen assets, which a U.S. official denied agreeing to.
- Trump administration has not yet commented on whether the negotiations concluded or what differences remain, despite Trump's stated goal of free passage through the strait and crippling Iran's nuclear program.
Why it matters: The pause keeps the fragile two‑week ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz uncertain, preserving Iran’s leverage over global shipping and denying the United States a chance to secure frozen assets and curb Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme in the near term.
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