U.S., Iran May Resume Talks This Week Despite Port Blockade

ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON/DUBAI, April 14 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that talks to end the Iran war could continue in Pakistan within the next two days, after the collapse of talks over the weekend prompted Washington to impose a blockade of Iranian ports.

Officials from Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf also said negotiating teams from the US and Iran could return to Pakistan this week, but a senior Iranian source said no date had been set.

“You really should hang in there, because something could happen in the next two days, and we’re more inclined to go there,” Trump told the New York Post.

At an event in Georgia later Tuesday, US Vice President J.D. Vance said Trump wants to strike a “grand bargain” with Iran but there is a lot of mistrust between the two countries.

“You can’t solve this problem overnight,” Vance said.

While the US blockade prompted angry rhetoric from Iran, signs that diplomatic engagement could resume helped calm oil markets and pushed benchmark prices below $100 a barrel.

Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, an important global waterway for oil and natural gas transportation, since the war began on February 28. Approximately 5,000 people died in the conflict.

Talks in Islamabad last weekend failed to reach an agreement, raising doubts about the continuation of the two-week ceasefire, which has a week left to expire.

Iran’s nuclear ambitions were a major sticking point. The United States has proposed suspending all Iranian nuclear activities for 20 years, while Tehran has suggested halting them for three to five years, according to sources familiar with the proposals. The United States has also pushed for the removal of enriched nuclear material from Iran.

A source involved in the talks in Pakistan said back-channel talks since the weekend had made progress in closing that gap and moved the two sides closer to a deal that could be put forward in a new round of talks.

It was unclear what kind of nuclear deal the United States and Iran could quickly reach, given the complexity of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers from which Trump withdrew in 2018 and the need for monitoring and verification by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran also wants the lifting of international sanctions, which the United States cannot commit to on its own.

US Central Command said that no ships were able to pass through the blockade of Iranian ports in the first 24 hours, and six commercial ships returned.

Centcom said more than a dozen US warships were involved in the blockade and that it applied only to ships going to or from Iran.

But shipping data showed the blockade had made little difference to traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, with at least eight ships crossing the waterway on Tuesday.

The war has clouded the outlook for global energy security and the supply of oil-based goods.

The International Monetary Fund lowered its growth outlook and said the global economy would be on the brink of recession if the conflict worsens and oil remains above $100 by 2027. Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency lowered its forecasts for the growth of global oil supply and demand.

The United States’ NATO allies, including Britain and France, have said they will not be drawn into conflict by taking part in the blockade, although they have offered to help protect the strait if an agreement is reached.

China, the main buyer of Iranian oil, said the US blockade was “dangerous and irresponsible” and would only increase tensions. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticized China for hoarding oil during the war.

Analysts say oil prices are likely to remain high for weeks after the strait fully reopens due to backlogs, damaged infrastructure and increased uncertainty.

Further complicating peace hopes, Israel continued to attack Lebanon, targeting the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. While Israel and the USA said that the campaign was not within the scope of the ceasefire, Iran insisted on this issue.

In Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors. This meeting was described by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the first major high-level contact between the two countries since 1993.

While Lebanon was demanding a ceasefire to end Israeli attacks that killed more than 2,000 people and displaced 1.2 million from their homes, Israel was also pressing for Beirut to disarm Hezbollah.

The US State Department later said the two sides agreed to continue negotiations.

While Israel’s ambassador to the USA said that he was hopeful that the Lebanese government wanted to reduce the influence of Hezbollah, Lebanon’s ambassador to the USA said in his statement that the meeting was “constructive” and that the date and place of the next meeting will be announced in due course.

The Lebanese government wanted negotiations to be held despite Hezbollah’s objections.

Trump paused the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran last week after threatening to destroy Iran’s “entire civilization” if it did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as the war is unpopular at home, where rising energy prices have caused political backlash.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted April 10 to 12 after the ceasefire was announced showed that the percentage of Americans who approve of attacks on Iran fell to 35% from 37% a week earlier.

Despite harsh rhetoric from both sides, the ceasefire was largely maintained in its first week.