ENGAGEMENT between the United States and Iran is continuing despite an escalation in tensions following reports of a US blockade of Iranian ports, according to American officials and diplomats cited by the Associated Press.
AP reported that the two sides could be moving towards a second round of talks as soon as Thursday.
It also cited two Pakistani officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, as saying that Islamabad has proposed hosting a second round of negotiations, with the venue dependent on whether the parties request a different location.
Although discussions held in Islamabad reportedly ended without a deal, both Reuters and the Associated Press news agencies said diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran remains ongoing.
Following the escalation, US President Donald Trump said Iran was keen to reach an agreement, claiming he had received communications from relevant parties earlier in the day seeking a deal.
US Vice President JD Vance also accused Iran of engaging in what he described as an “act of economic terrorism” by disrupting transit through the Strait of Hormuz, adding that “the ball is now in Tehran’s court.”
In response to the reported US blockade, Iran is said to have issued threats targeting ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, further raising regional tensions.
The situation has unfolded alongside reports that ceasefire-related discussions between the two countries concluded on Sunday without agreement, casting uncertainty over what may follow when a two-week truce period expires on April 22.
In a separate statement posted on Truth Social, Trump issued a warning regarding Iranian naval activity, stating, “Iran’s Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated – 158 ships. What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, “fast attack ships,” because we did not consider them much of a threat.
Trump warns that; “If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea. It is quick and brutal.” - April 14, 2026
