The prospects for a second round of peace talks between Iran and the United States, scheduled to be held this week in Pakistan, remain uncertain after officials in Tehran threatened not to attend the discussions following the US seizure of an Iranian-flagged vessel near the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend.
The two-week ceasefire between Tehran and Washington is due to expire on Wednesday, with Donald Trump indicating that an extension is highly unlikely.
Iran has, meanwhile, accused Donald Trump of using the blockade and alleged ceasefire violations to pressure Tehran, claiming the move is intended to turn the negotiating table into a table of surrender or to justify renewed military escalation.
“We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the past two weeks, we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield,” Iran’s powerful parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is Iran’s top negotiator in talks with the United States, wrote in a post on X.
Ghalibaf also cautioned that Tehran had “new cards” if war resumes with the United States and Israel. “We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the last two weeks we have been preparing to show new cards on the battlefield,” he wrote on X.
Hormuz as point of contention
While both the United States and Iran have expressed optimism about negotiating an end to the conflict, they have simultaneously continued to intensify tensions in and around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil maritime chokepoint that has become a key focal point in the peace discussions.
The Trump administration has confirmed that a US delegation will attend peace talks in Pakistan this week. Donald Trump had initially indicated that the discussions in Islamabad would take place on Tuesday, though the schedule may be revised.
Washington is once again dispatching a team led by Vice President JD Vance, along with Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to participate in the talks.
However, amid uncertainty surrounding the talks, Donald Trump issued a stark warning, stating that if the fragile two-week ceasefire with Iran expires without a breakthrough, “then lots of bombs start going off.”
In an interview with the PBS News, Trump was asked what would happen if the ceasefire expires. “Then lots of bombs start going off,” he said.
“I mean, they’re supposed to be there. We agreed to be there, although they say we didn’t. But no, it was set up. And we’ll see whether or not it’s there. If they’re not there, that’s fine too,” he added.
What’s hindering the peace talks
An Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity to The Washington Post, said that the tone of Donald Trump’s public remarks and the ongoing US blockade were the two most significant factors jeopardising the talks.
They said both sides had largely agreed on the outlines of a deal, but warned that Trump’s public “maximalism” stance risked derailing the diplomatic progress.
