Iran war: Everything you need to know about peace talks

Donald Trump has renewed his threat to "knock out" Iran's power plants and bridges, unless the Iranian regime reaches a deal to end the war, adding: "NO MORE MR NICE GUY."

The US president has also revealed he's sending representatives back to Pakistan for further peace talks. The US delegation will arrive there on Monday evening, according to Mr Trump.

This would not leave long for discussions before the temporary truce ends on Wednesday, but a ceasefire being extended has happened before.

When is the deadline?

The ceasefire is due to run out on 22 April.

No date has been set for the next round of negotiations between Iran and the US, Iran's deputy foreign minister said ​on Saturday, noting that a framework of understanding must be agreed first.

The ‌highest-level US-Iran talks since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which took place in Islamabad last weekend, ended without agreement.

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Who is involved?

In Mr Trump's Truth Social post on Sunday afternoon, in which he mentioned US representatives going to Pakistan, he didn't say which officials he would be sending to a second round of in-person talks with Iran in Islamabad.

Mr Trump's main negotiator will be JD Vance, the vice president, who was joined by special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law and former special adviser Jared Kushner last time.

The pair also negotiated a Gaza ceasefire deal and are involved in Russia-Ukraine talks.

Iranian officials said earlier on Sunday that they were still open to negotiation, but said ships wouldn't pass the strait while the US blockade remained in effect.

What do we know about the state of negotiations?

One of Iran's key negotiators has said there is "still some distance" in peace talks as the end of the two-week ceasefire approaches.

The first round of direct talks in Pakistan last week did not amount to much.

Pakistan's army chief was in Tehran this week, with Pakistani sources telling Reuters he made a breakthrough on "sticky issues" and both sides agree in principle. Pakistan has played a key role as a mediator in discussions between the two sides.

What do the different sides want?

Mr Trump described a 10-point proposal from Iran as a "workable basis on which to negotiate".

Mr Trump then posted on his social media site that the ceasefire was subject to Iran agreeing to the "COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz".

Israel and the US both want Iran's missile capabilities ​to be ⁠significantly curbed. Tehran has said its formidable missile arsenal will not be the subject of negotiations.

A key objective since the start of the war from Mr Trump is that Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.

However, Tehran says its 10-point peace plan includes Washington's "acceptance of enrichment" of uranium for Tehran's nuclear programme.

An Iranian official said last week there are still "highly disputed issues" over Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Read more:
What is Iran's 10-point peace plan - and what has Trump said?
Talks break down as both sides play hardball - what happens next?

Iran also said that stopping hostilities in Lebanon will be part of larger peace negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office had said in a statement that a two-week suspension of strikes did not include the war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Iran ​wants the US to unblock Iranian assets and end sanctions that have crippled its economy for years.

The country also wants the withdrawal of US combat forces from the region.

Mr Trump has vowed to retain military ​assets in the Middle East until a peace deal is reached and warned of a major escalation ​in fighting if it failed to comply.

What is happening between Israel and Lebanon?

Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a "cessation of hostilities" on 16 April for 10 days, according to a text of the deal released by the State Department.

The deal says Lebanon's government, with international ‌support, would take "meaningful steps" to prevent Hezbollah and other groups from launching attacks on Israeli targets.

It also says that Israel and Lebanon recognise the country's security forces "as having exclusive responsibility for Lebanon's sovereignty and national defence", referencing a bid by the government since 2025 to disarm Hezbollah.

The deal does not require Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces have been destroying villages ​and infrastructure after ordering residents south of the Litani River to leave.

What has happened in talks in recent days?

Mr Trump said on Friday there could be talks this ​weekend and that the two sides were "very close to making a deal".

He cited "very good conversations" with Tehran despite warning against "blackmail" over the ‌important shipping channel.

Last week, the US and Iran ended an historic round of face-to-face discussions without coming to an agreement.

Tehran reversed course on Saturday to reassert control over the strait, with its closure throwing fresh doubt on the outcome of the war, which the US and ​Israel launched on 28 February.

Iran said it was responding to a continued US blockade of Iranian ports, adding it violated the ceasefire, while Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Iran's navy was ready to inflict "new bitter defeats" on its enemies.

On Friday, Tehran announced the temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz following the 10-day ceasefire.

But Mr Ghalibaf warned that the shipping lane will stay closed if the US continues to block ships from entering and exiting Iran's ports.

What happened in the last round of talks?

US vice president JD Vance said negotiations finished without a deal after the Iranians refused to accept US terms to refrain from developing a nuclear weapon.

The discussions in Islamabad began last Saturday, a few days after a fragile ceasefire was announced, and as the war entered its seventh week.

"We were constantly in communication with the team because we were negotiating in good faith," Mr Vance said, with special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to his side.

"And we leave here, and we leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We'll see if the Iranians accept it."

Mr Trump had said he would suspend attacks against Iran for two weeks.

Mr Vance's comments did not indicate what will happen after that time period expires or if the ceasefire will stay in place.

What about the Strait of Hormuz?

Iran has doubled down on its pledge to restrict ships passing through the strait as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remains active.

On Friday, Iran had announced the temporary reopening of the strait, but it was closed again on Saturday evening.

Around a fifth of the world's traded oil typically flows through the strait every day.

Mr Ghalibaf said in a televised interview that Tehran would continue to threaten commercial vessels transiting the critical waterway.

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