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Talks Set in Islamabad
President Donald Trump announced that U.S. negotiators would travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, on Monday for talks aimed at ending the US-Israel war on Iran, after last weekend’s talks in Islamabad led by Vice President JD Vance ended without a deal.
“President Donald Trump has announced that United States negotiators will travel to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Monday for talks aimed at ending the US-Israel war on Iran”
In a post on social media on Sunday, Trump said, “My Representatives are going to Islamabad, Pakistan. They will be there tomorrow evening, for negotiations,” and he added, “We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single power plant, and every single bridge, in Iran.”
The BBC reported that it had been “more than three hours since Trump announced that US representatives are heading to Pakistan for negotiations,” while “so far, no named Iranian official has confirmed or denied whether Iran will take part.”
Al Jazeera similarly said there was “no immediate comment from Tehran regarding Trump’s claim of a new round of talks,” and it cited Iran’s Tasnim News Agency saying there was “currently no decision by Iran to send a negotiating delegation to Pakistan ‘as long as there is a naval blockade’ on Iranian ports.”
The dispute over whether Vance would go also remained live: the BBC said “US Vice President JD Vance will travel to Islamabad with Donald Trump’s advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner,” while The Times of Israel reported Trump told ABC News that “It’s only because of security” and that “JD Vance will not lead the US delegation.”
In parallel, NDTV Profit said the upcoming talks were “slated for Tuesday and could spill over into Wednesday,” and it framed the stakes around Trump’s warning of “strong consequences” for any ceasefire breach.
Iran’s Conditions and the Blockade
Iran’s position on whether it would attend the next round of talks was tied to the status of the U.S. naval blockade, with Tasnim News Agency reporting “there is currently no decision by Iran to send a negotiating delegation to Pakistan ‘as long as there is a naval blockade’ on Iranian ports.”
The BBC added that “two Iranian outlets affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have cast doubts about Iran’s participation,” with Tasnim saying “as long as there is a US blockade, it will not join the talks,” and Fars describing the overall situation as “not positive.”
Al Jazeera also quoted Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejecting the blockade as unlawful, saying, “The United States’ so-called ‘blockade’ of Iran’s ports or coastline is not only a violation of Pakistani-mediated ceasefire but also both unlawful and criminal,” and it further said the ministry argued it “amounts to war crime and crime against humanity.”
The BBC’s timeline section recalled that on 12 April “After 21 hours the talks in Pakistan end without resolving key issues,” and it said Trump announced a blockade of Iranian ports, while on 17 April “Iran’s foreign minister says the strait will remain open for the rest of the ceasefire.”
In the same reporting stream, Al Jazeera said Iran’s IRGC navy claimed the Strait of Hormuz had been closed again “less than 24 hours after it was reopened,” and it said it would remain closed until the U.S. lifts its naval blockade on Iranian vessels and ports.
The U.S. military, meanwhile, said it had forced 23 ships to turn around near the strait since its blockade began, and Central Command said forces were continuing to enforce the blockade “against ships entering or exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas.”
Threats, War-Crime Debate, and Nuclear Stakes
Trump’s announcement of renewed talks came alongside repeated threats aimed at Iranian infrastructure, and the BBC framed the legal and moral dispute around those threats.
“again threatened to hit civilian infrastructure in Iran if a deal is not reached”
The BBC said that in a Truth Social post earlier, Trump “again threatened to hit civilian infrastructure in Iran if a deal is not reached,” and it quoted the U.S. president’s warning that “the United States will destroy every power plant and every bridge in Iran.”
It also reported that “Donald Trump’s threat to blow up electricity plants and bridges in Iran could amount to a threat to commit potential war crimes,” citing international treaties and the laws of war, and it quoted Luis Moreno Ocampo saying, “Under the Rome Statute, established by the court,
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