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

Re the peace talks in Pakistan today, the Iranian delegation has arrived in Islamabad.

Vice President JD Vance is also on his way, along with special envoy Steve Witkoff & Trump’s adviser ( & son in law) Jared Kushner.

So at least both sides will be ready to attend the talks. According to the BBC, Pakistan has been acting as intermediary between Iran and the US over the last few weeks.

The Iranian delegation is headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammed Baqher Ghalibaf.

Plus senior political, military & economic officials, including the Iranian foreign minister, defence council secretary, central bank governor and several members of Parliament.

Islamabad meeting set to be highest-level talks since 1979 Islamic Revolution

When US and Iranian diplomats meet for talks in Islamabad later today, they will be the highest-level negotiations Tehran and Washington have had since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

They will also be the first official face-to-face negotiations since 2015, when they agreed a deal on Iran’s nuclear development.

President Trump scrapped the nuclear deal in 2018 during his first term in office.

That same year, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, banned further direct talks. Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli attack at the start of the war six weeks ago.

www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/4/11/iran-war-live-us-negotiators-due-to-arrive-in-pakistan-for-ceasefire-talks

Before talks have even started, stating that the SoH will be open with or with out Iran does not bode well for a successful conclusion. Vance saying yesterday that he and the negotiating team would not allow Iran to ”play them” is rich, given that Iran was attacked during previous negotiations.

So far what this US/Israel war(even the BBC is using this term) has achieved, apart from dead and injured people and damaged military and civilian infrastructure, is reshaped Iran’s security doctrine and deterrence posture. It's also made the GCC question the efficacy of US protection.

How anyone can think this 👇will help negotiations is beyond me.
The Iranians don’t seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short term extortion of the World by using International Waterways. The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate! President DONALD J. TRUMP

Let's all hope for an end to this 6 week (so far) war that does not create a new generation of Iranians determined to get revenge for their nation.

Both sides need to engage constructively and cut the negative rhetoric.

At least Iran negotiators have turned up. That was the first hurdle after they threatened not to attend these talks at all over the Lebanon issue.

Although the US and Iran seem miles apart in what they want to achieve from this truce, they do at least both seem to want a ceasefire.

After seeing posters being banned on another ME thread I was following, I'm going to leave this one now, because of certain commonalities with the other one.

I don't hold with the authoritanian use of reporting posts that I think were not breaching MN guidelines, but to each his own, and I recognise that sensitivities vary.

I like vigorous and informed debate and don't want to end up being reported and banned.

Ok bye.

(but just as as something to consider, it's not up to you or me which posts get deleted, all we can do is report them if we think they break site guidelines. Ultimately, MN decide whether they agree or not and which posts get deleted. We all like vigorous debate on this board but there are site guidelines which are there to protect us all. Breaking them repeatedly normally results in a suspension not a ban, by the way).

Face to face peace talks have begun in Islamabad between the US & Iran.

Despite earlier reports that Iran were insisting that they would not start talks until the US had met certain preconditions, they have started without these being met.

For example - Iran wanted the US to agree to unfreeze Iranian assets held in Qatar and other foreign banks. The White House has denied that the US has made any such agreement.

What the two sides are likely focusing on during talks according to Sky News:

• Lebanon ceasefire demand: Iran wants Israel to stop attacking Lebanon (where Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah). Israel and the US said the Lebanon campaign isn't part of the Iran-US ceasefire, while Tehran insists it is.
• Sanctions and frozen assets: Tehran wants the US to unblock Iranian assets and end sanctions. Washington has suggested it is open to sanctions relief - but only in exchange for concessions from Iran on its nuclear and missile programmes.
• Strait of Hormuz: Iran wants its authority recognised over the key waterway, where it wants to charge ships for access. The US wants it opened for oil tankers without any limitations, including tolls.
• Compensation: Iran is expected to demand reparations for damage done during the war. The US hasn't commented.
• Nuclear plans: Iran wants the green light to enrich uranium, but Donald Trump has insisted this is not up for negotiation.
• Missiles: Israel and the US want Iran's missile capabilities to be dramatically cut back. Tehran has said this isn't negotiable.
• Withdrawal of US forces: Iran wants US forces to leave the region and a commitment to non-aggression. Trump has vowed to retain military assets in the Middle East until a peace deal is agreed. He has warned of a major escalation if Tehran fails to comply.

https://news.sky.com/story/iran-war-latest-254-people-killed-by-israeli-strikes-in-lebanon-today-says-civil-defence-service-13509565

U.S. warships cross Strait of Hormuz for first time since Iran war began

Several U.S. Navy ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, a U.S. official told Axios.

Why it matters: The move was not coordinated with Iran. It is the first time U.S. warships crossed the strait since the beginning of the war.

The operation was aimed at increasing confidence for commercial ships to cross, sources say. It came as peace talks between the two sides kicked off in Pakistan.

"This was an operation that focused on freedom of navigation through International waters," the U.S. official said.

Driving the news: The official said the Navy ships crossed the strait from east to west to the Gulf, and then made their way back through the strait to the Arabian Sea.

The Iranian government reportedly called the crossing a ceasefire violation and threatened to attack the ships, per state media reports.

A U.S. official says the U.S. received no such warning.

The big picture: The reopening of the strait was a key provision in the U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal.

The narrow waterway off Iran's southern coast is vital to the normal functioning of the global economy.

For several days after the ceasefire was announced very few ships crossed. There were reports Saturday morning that at least three oil-carrying supertankers crossed — a tentative sign of movement, though a tiny fraction of normal.

A U.S. official admitted earlier this week that ships were not moving through because they were intimidated by the Iranians.

What they're saying: President Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday that the threat that a ship may "bunk" into sea mines was the only thing Iran had to intimidate them from crossing the strait.

'We're now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz as a favor to Countries all over the World, including China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, and many others," he wrote.

https://www.axios.com/2026/04/11/us-iran-navy-strait-of-hormuz

JD Vance has blamed the failure of negotiations with Iran on the country’s refusal to abandon its nuclear weapons programme, while Iranian sources have hit back at “excessive” demands from Washington.

The vice-president said he spoke with Donald Trump at least half a dozen times during the talks, and one of the most significant points of difference between the two sides was on Iran’s nuclear programme.

“We need to see an affirmative commitment that [Iran] will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” he said. “That is the core goal of the president of the United States, and that’s what we’ve tried to achieve through these negotiations.”

Iran’s foreign ministry downplayed the apparent breakdown, saying that no one had held any expectation that talks with the US would reach an agreement within one session.

“Naturally, from the beginning we should not have expected to reach an agreement in a single session. No one had such an expectation,” ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said, according to state broadcaster IRIB.

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/12/jd-vance-says-no-deal-us-iran-pakistan-talks-islamabad

I think that sounds relatively positive. Of course the US can’t just fold right away and the Iranian response shows a willingness to negotiate.

At least, and I am grasping at straws here, but as much as I disagree with Vance, it’s good he’s not mad. And as dispicable as the Iranian regime are, they aren’t a bunch of war mongering nut jobs. It’s all very calculated. They are going to make the most of holding the world economy to ransom.

I'm not quite sure how to feel about it but it's certainly not all negative. It feels to me like both sides agreed compromises during the negotiations but ultimately, couldn't reach agreement on some of the most difficult issues such as Iran's nuclear programme.

I'm glad that Iran’s foreign ministry are being pragmatic in downplaying the apparent breakdown. It's a good time to keep a cool head and not say or do anything to make a difficult situation even harder.

The US will start a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after peace talks collapsed with Iran, Donald Trump has announced.

No ships will be able to enter or leave the critical oil passageway, and any vessel that paid Iran a toll for free passage would be intercepted, he said.

In his first public statements since JD Vance, the vice-president, announced that negotiations had failed, Mr Trump wrote: “So, there you have it, the meeting went well, most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not.

In his Truth Social post, Mr Trump said the US Navy had also been instructed to “seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran” and that it would begin destroying mines laid by Iran in the water.

“Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!” he added.

He said other countries would be involved in the blockade but did not specify which, adding that it would begin shortly.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/12/iran-war-latest-news-peace-talks-trump-vance-strait-hormuz/

I'm curious to see how countries that were allowed to sail through previously are going to feel about Trump's blockade...

He did day it was stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons so thats a major point.

I get the stopping all passing rather than just ships paying Iran. No point paying them if you cannot pass.

Might push a few towards urging a ceasefire rather than thinking they can just pass to pass.

We will see whether the tactic works or just escalates it further into a wider conflict

Copied from another thread but also relevant here:

According to the Telegraph, 50% of China’s seaborne oil imports pass through the strait, meaning this blockade is as big for them as it is for Iran.

Their Washington Correspondent suggests that Trump is aiming to pressure Beijing into pushing Iran to give up its nuclear programme and take a deal.

Let's hope it works then. Hopefully no one wants escalation

Always worth remembering that the strait of Hormuz was wide open before Israel and America decided to start a war…. But hey if anyone is allowed to block it then it must be the orange toddler🙄🤦‍♀️

How could we ever forget when people keep mentioning it?

I don't see how it's that helpful to discussions about the ceasefire or opening the Straight. But sure, let's be reminded once again that the Straight was open before the war.

I do think it’s worth to keep reminding ourselves that this situation never needed to happen!! I don’t care if it irritates you. I can’t get over the stupidity of it all, and fucking hypocrisy too.

Ok but people keep saying the same thing and it doesn't change anything about the current situation.

We don't want ships to pay Iran do we ?.give them more funds ?.
Also it was rumoured that china is sending weapons to Iran and I wouldn't be surprised if Russia was.

The stakes are so very high here !

Did anyone see the possible alternative that ships can to america and get oil that way ? Feasible ? Somerhng the plug the gap ?

Re nuclear stuff that's a strange hill for them/ Iran to die on ?

I thought they only wanted nuclear for domestic purposes and the USA said they would support that ?