US, Iran and mediators discuss terms for a 45-day ceasefire

[Twiglets1]

As reported by Axios, the U.S., Iran and a group of regional mediators are discussing the terms for a potential 45-day ceasefire that could lead to a permanent end to the war, according to four U.S., Israeli and regional sources with knowledge of the talks.

Four sources with knowledge of the diplomatic efforts said the negotiations are taking place through Pakistani, Egyptian and Turkish mediators and also through text messages sent between Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

• A U.S. official said the Trump administration gave Iran several proposals in recent days, but so far Iranian officials hadn't accepted them.
• The sources said the mediators are discussing with the parties the terms for two-phased deal; the first phase would a potential 45-day ceasefire during which a permanent end to the war would be negotiated.
• The ceasefire could be extended if more time were needed for talks, one of the sources said.
• The second phase would be an agreement on ending the war.
• The sources said mediators think that fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz and a solution for Iran's highly enriched Uranium — either through its removal from the country or dilution — could only be a result of a final deal.
• These two issues are Iran's main bargaining chips in the negotiations and the Iranians will not agree to fully give up on them for only 45 days of ceasefire, two of the sources said.
• The mediators want to see whether Iran could take partial step on both issues in the first phase of the deal. They are also working on steps the Trump administration could take to give Iran guarantees that the ceasefire will not be temporary and that the war will not resume.

www.axios.com/2026/04/06/iran-war-us-tehran-ceasefire-talks

According to Axios, the US/Iran talks are set to go ahead on Wednesday now. The delay according to a “source with knowledge” was the IRGC wanting to hold a firmer line: no talks without an end to the US blockade.

The Iranian team waited for a green light from the supreme leader. It came on Monday night, according to the source.

I think there's three factors behind nuclear aside from weapons development

1. Sovereignty - this is a major sticking point for the regime, they are keen to demonstrate that they do not capitulate to demands, especially if the demands are applied unevenly across countries. They were in compliance with JCPOA and it was torn up under Trump. They do not want to show themselves as weak or as capitulating to the west. The nuclear issue then becomes a symbolic battlefield that Iran will not bend to the will of the west, especially if it has been playing by the rules.

1. Scientific research - Iran's nuclear program being halted also halted pioneering scientific research. In a country which is heavily sanctioned, the internal knowledge economy is of increasing importance. Whilst 60% enrichment exceeds other known uses of uranium, there are also medical uses for enriched uranium too. Importing medical isotopes is obviously not preferable when the rial is weak against the dollar

1. Deterrance - even if they never plan to use the weapons, it's seems that countries with nuclear weapons don't get attacked by the USA. When was the last time the USA bombed Russia or North Korea? The enriching and diluting of uranium can be used as a negotiating tool by the regime when threatened by external parties such as the current USA administration.

I think we should also be careful to not conflate the IRGC with the Iranian government or its supreme leader - these are 3 separate institutions. Foreign policy isn't set by the IRGC and neither is the nuclear program.

I understand why Iran might want to develop nuclear weapons for several other reasons than the purely aggressive. They just can’t be trusted to do so under the current regime. That is my opinion and the opinion of every Western leader I believe?

You can’t allow a country that wishes death to at least two other countries to develop the capability to destroy other countries. Their murderous words aren’t just rhetoric- they really do want to kill US & Israel civilians. And have launched a still recent attack on Israeli civilians in 2023 via their proxies.

Trump has said today that their nuclear dust is totally obliterated

You can’t allow a country that wishes death to at least two other countries to develop the capability to destroy other countries

Are there other countries you are applying this to?

Sky News
Vance trip to Islamabad on hold after Iran 'failed to respond' to US negotiating positions

We've been reporting on the growing uncertainty surrounding a second round of talks between US and Iran in Islamabad.

US vice president JD Vance's diplomatic trip to Pakistan, where he was expected to push for a nuclear deal, has been put on hold, the New York Times reports.

A US official said the trip was put on hold after Tehran failed to respond to American negotiating positions.

They added the trip had not yet been cancelled, with Pakistan still yet to receive a formal response from Iran.

Earlier, a White House official confirmed Vance is yet to depart to Pakistan and is taking part in policy meetings.

It's starting to get quite nasty
Trump has alluded to china actually sending Iran weapons !.
I find it facial that Russia and China who have had issues with extreme Islam in their countries is siding with an extreme Islamic state ??

Trump's extended the ceasefire indefinitely, but is keeping up the blockade as per his latest Truth Social post.

Interesting development, thank you @GentleSheep

It's not good for fuel, fertiliser and other essentials - shortages will increase.

But but Trump had a plan....

Vance, Witkoff and Kushner all seen at the WH tonight

Iran clearly not impressed.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/04/21/politics/us-military-missile-stockpile

US at risk of running out of missiles if another war breaks out after depleting stockpile in Iran operations

That doesn’t sound good
but
The US aren’t effectively in a ceasefire if they have taken hold of Iranian waters
Just as Israel aren’t whilst they control and bulldoze parts of Lebanon

It Looks like Trumps threats were all hot air

They are Missing six planes
They clearly thought Iran would turn up

SIX PLANES !!! How much food do they need

and Israel and the US will be to blame
45 million face serious food insecurity in some of our poorest countries

From
Al Jazeera

‘Poor people in Africa and Asia will be hurt the most because they have to spend a high share of their income on food anyway,” Qaim said.
“Hunger and undernutrition will very likely rise.”
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) last week warned that a prolonged crisis in the strait, which Iran has closed in retaliation for the United States and Israel’s war, could lead to a global food “catastrophe”.
India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, and Egypt are among the countries most at risk, according to the FAO.
In an analysis last month, the World Food Programme said nearly 45 million more people could face acute food shortages if the conflict continues into the middle of the year and oil prices remain above $100 a barrel.’

What is this "radical Islam" in Russia and China? What do the radical Islamists want in those nations ?

They are at stalemate now.

Iran says they won't send negotiators until the US end their blockade, while the US say they will continue to blockade Iranian ports until Tehran’s leaders and representatives came up with “a unified proposal”.

In other news, the US has halted US dollar shipments to Iraq and frozen security cooperation programs with its military, as it presses Baghdad to dismantle Iranian-backed militias operating in the country, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Independent also report that the US has imposed new sanctions targeting 14 people and companies that help Iran obtain weapons as Tehran works to rebuild its ballistic missile inventory after US-Israeli attacks, the treasury department said.

The targets, which also include aircraft, are based in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates and were cited for their involvement in procuring or transporting weapons or components on Iran's behalf, the treasury said in a statement.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-us-war-live-trump-ceasefire-deadline-strait-of-hormuz-b2962350.html

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said extending the US naval blockade would continue "to systematically degrade Tehran’s ability to generate, move, and repatriate funds"

BBC Verify analysis suggests that the Strait of Hormuz shutdown has boosted the demand for US oil.

In a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday night, President Donald Trump said the Iranian leadership has “forced hundreds of ships” towards oil-rich US states, such as Texas, Louisiana, and Alaska.

While it is unclear the type of ships he was referring to, shipping and trading analysts tell BBC Verify that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran has indeed driven a surge in demand for US crude oil.

The strait is a critical transit chokepoint for Gulf oil, but shipping has been severely disrupted since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran on 28 February.

Unable to access crude oil from the Middle East through the strait, importers have had to look for alternative suppliers.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cx297218m9vt

According to a sky analyst this minefield off Oman is what's pushing boats closer to the Iranian cost but the nines can be clearer by a USA mine clear. If they can do that it means they go closer to Oman and further from Iran ..I don't understand why they don't do that and why if they are experts at small boats they don't just do that ?

Because it's a time-consuming process and whilst the mine sweepers are in that small area they are sitting ducks for attacks from Iran.

And the US does not have any mine sweepers. They have a couple of LCS ships that have sweeping gear on them, but from what I can figure out, it appears sweeping tech has potentially fallen behind mine tech.

Yes, that as well. Seems like the US snookered itself.

Who could have guessed that decapitating Iran's existing leaders would create uncertainty about who on their side is actually empowered to negotiate?

Everyone, except the USA it seems

I think the traditional thing was that the US done the big ships, the other NATO nations done the sweeping. But the UK scrapped it's sweepers too. We have an experimental drone system, but it's technically still under testing so no significant numbers. I am not sure if it can be swept clean. I mean to insurance standards for tankers.

UK's next-generation minehunter drones will patrol Strait of Hormuz

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper pointed to new technologies as she hosted a 41-country summit on Thursday on restoring freedom of navigation to the Strait of Hormuz.

Eyes turn now to a meeting of military planners next Tuesday to come up with a scheme that would help restore confidence to the shipping industry in a post-conflict initiative. "We [will] marshal our collective defensive military capabilities, including looking at issues such as de-mining or reassurance once the conflict eases," Ms Cooper told the meeting at the outset.

Keeping shipping "safe for the long term” could entail issues such as clearing mines that have possibly been laid by Tehran to sink ships in the sea passage.

It is possible UK drone minesweepers that can track and identify undersea threats in the Gulf could be sent with a mother ship, such as RFA Lyme Bay, to the region.

The autonomous Royal Navy boat Harrier will replace manned mine countermeasure vessels, along with torpedo-like Iver4 underwater drones. The lightweight autonomous vehicle is designed for use in shallow coastal environments. The Iver4 can operate at depths of up to 100 metres to detect, locate and identify mines using an array of sensors.

The captain of the Lyme Bay said it had recently undergone a refit. Mark Colley told Forces News the vessel was able to act as a mothership. "I know we are ready to support this autonomous uncrewed kit so as to play an important role in its use," he added.

www.thenationalnews.com/news/uk/2026/03/25/uk-navy-seeks-civilian-ships-to-carry-hormuz-minehunter-drones/