- Trump says willing to meet Iranian leaders if progress made.
- Pakistan making efforts to end US blockade: Iranian official.
- DPM Dar stress continued dialogue to resolve pending issues.
A US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance is en route to Pakistan and expected to land in Islamabad within hours for the second round of talks with Iran, President Donald Trump said on Monday.
Trump confirmed the development in an interview with the New York Post, saying he would be willing to meet Iranian leaders himself if progress is made in the talks.
Apart from Vance, the US delegation includes Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, as per a report by Axios.
If reports about the other delegation members are accurate, it would mean the US delegation is the same as in the first round of Iran talks held in Islamabad on April 11.
However, a source familiar with the plan told AFP on Monday that a US delegation will head to Pakistan “soon” for a new round of peace negotiations with Iran.
Meanwhile, mediator Pakistan — which brokered a two-week ceasefire between the two sides on April 8 — was making efforts to end the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and to ensure Iran’s participation in the peace talks.
With the ceasefire set to expire, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran was “positively reviewing” its participation following Pakistan’s efforts, but no final decision had been made.
The comments conveyed a clear change of tone from earlier statements ruling out attendance and pledging to retaliate for US aggression.
Separately, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, emphasising the importance of continued dialogue and engagement to resolve all pending issues.
DPM Dar stressed that persistent dialogue was essential to ensure regional peace and stability, read a statement issued by the Foreign Office.
Since the announcement of the ceasefire, Tehran and Washington have disagreed on a number of issues, including Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Tehran effectively blocked the waterway and launched attacks against Israel and US bases across the Middle East in response to the joint US-Israel attacks on February 28.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, on April 17, announced the reopening of the strait for commercial vessels following the ceasefire in Lebanon.
However, Iranian authorities blocked the waterway again the following day, citing the US blockade of Iranian ports.
On April 18, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that the US blockade represented “acts of piracy and maritime theft”.
“Until the US restores full freedom of navigation for vessels travelling from Iran to their destinations and back, the status of the Strait of Hormuz will remain tightly controlled and in its previous condition,” it said.
US Marines board Iranian vessel
The ceasefire had appeared in jeopardy after the US said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade, and Tehran vowed to retaliate.
The US military said it had fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship headed towards Iran’s Bandar Abbas port on Sunday after a six-hour standoff, disabling its engines.
US Central Command released a video showing Marines descending ropes from helicopters onto the vessel.
Iran’s military said the ship had been travelling from China and accused the US of “armed piracy”, according to state media.
They said they were ready to confront US forces over the “blatant aggression”, but were constrained by the presence of crew members’ families on board.
Trump on Sunday warned that the US would destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran if it rejected his terms, continuing a recent pattern of such threats.
Iran has said that if the US were to attack its civilian infrastructure, it would strike power stations and desalination plants in its Gulf Arab neighbours.
