Iran considers US proposals and possibility of new round of talks

2026-04-16 12:20:42, Kosova & Bota CNA

Iranian officials are expected to meet on April 16 with Pakistani mediators to discuss new US proposals and decide on a possible second round of talks, a day after US President Donald Trump said the war could end "very soon".

"Following today's meeting of the Pakistani delegation, led by Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir, with Iranian officials, the Iranian side will conduct the necessary review and then a decision will be taken on the next round of negotiations between Iran and the US," the state-run Tasnim news agency reported.

Pakistan's army chief arrived in Tehran on April 15 and was received by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. A senior Iranian source told Reuters that Munir, who had brokered the first round of talks, was in Iran "to bridge the gap" between the two sides.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said at a press conference in Tehran on April 15 that since the end of the talks, Iran has been exchanging messages with the US through Pakistan.

Trump has expressed optimism about reaching a peace deal. However, the US president has often claimed that a deal is close, only to later repeat threats to destroy Iran's remaining military assets and leadership, as well as its energy infrastructure.

"I think it could be over very quickly. If they're smart, it'll be over quickly ," Trump said, referring to Iranian negotiators during an interview with Fox Business News, recorded on April 14 and broadcast on April 15.

"I think it's close to being over... I see it as very close to being over," Trump said.

Earlier on April 15, he told the New York Post that the negotiators, who ended talks on April 11-12 in Islamabad without reaching an agreement, could meet again in the coming days.

US Vice President JD Vance, who led the US delegation during the first round of talks, raised the possibility of further talks, saying that "great progress" had been achieved.

White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt told reporters that a new round of talks would "most likely" be held in the Pakistani capital.

The two-week ceasefire is coming to an end. The US and Iran agreed to the ceasefire on April 7, and Trump has said he has no plans to extend it beyond April 22 — when it expires — suggesting that such a move likely won't be necessary.

A key point of contention concerns Iran's ability to enrich uranium. The West has accused Tehran of seeking to create a nuclear weapon, while Iran insists its program is for civilian purposes.

Another contentious issue has been Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments pass before the war began.

After talks in Islamabad ended without an agreement, Trump announced a US blockade targeting ships heading to or leaving Iran. The strait connects Europe to Asia via the Suez Canal and is considered one of the most important maritime trade routes in the global economy.

A military adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned on April 15 that Tehran would sink American ships in the strait if the US decided to "patrol" this key shipping route. /REL