NEGOTIATIONS between the United States and Iran have paused following an intense round of talks in Islamabad, with no clear resolution reached on key disputes that continue to threaten a fragile ceasefire and global energy stability.
Iran’s government said early on Sunday that discussions had concluded after 14 hours, marking the first direct engagement between Washington and Tehran in more than a decade and the most senior-level contact since the Iranian Revolution.
“Negotiations will continue despite some remaining differences,” Reuters quoted Iran’s government saying in a post, adding that technical teams from both sides would now exchange documents, though no timeline was given for the next round.
An Iranian state television reporter indicated that talks could resume as early as Sunday, underscoring the fluid and uncertain nature of the diplomatic effort.
The negotiations come against the backdrop of a six-week war that has driven oil prices sharply higher, claimed thousands of lives and led Iran to block the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime corridor through which roughly one-fifth of global energy supplies pass.
Senior figures from both sides took part in the Islamabad talks, including U.S. Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who met Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, according to a Pakistani source.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has yet to comment publicly on the outcome or whether any substantive progress was made.
Diplomatic tensions were reflected in the atmosphere of the talks. “There were mood swings from the two sides and the temperature went up and down during the meeting,” a Pakistani source said, describing a volatile first round.
Iran’s delegation arrived in black attire to mourn those killed in the conflict, including the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Officials said they carried belongings of students killed in a U.S. strike on a site near a military compound, an incident now under Pentagon investigation.
The Strait of Hormuz remains central to the negotiations. The U.S. military said it was “setting the conditions” to begin clearing the vital waterway, reporting that two warships had transited the strait. Iranian state media rejected that claim, denying any such passage.
Before the talks, an Iranian source suggested Washington had agreed to release frozen Iranian assets held in Qatar and other foreign banks, a claim denied by U.S. officials.
Tehran is pressing for sweeping concessions, including control over the Strait of Hormuz, war reparations and a broader regional ceasefire extending to Lebanon, where fighting involving Iranian-backed groups continues. It is also seeking the right to impose transit fees on shipping through the strait.
Washington’s core demands have centred on restoring free navigation through the waterway and curbing Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme to prevent the development of nuclear weapons.
Complicating matters further, U.S. ally Israel—which joined the initial offensive against Iran on February 28—has continued strikes against Tehran-backed Hezbollah forces in Lebanon and maintains that conflict falls outside the scope of any U.S.–Iran ceasefire arrangement.
With mutual distrust running high and key issues unresolved, the pause in negotiations leaves both the ceasefire and the stability of a critical global oil route hanging in the balance. - April 12, 2026
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