The White House has publicly lauded Pakistan’s role in brokering talks between the United States and Iran, with officials signaling that a second round of negotiations to end the six-week war will likely take place in Islamabad again. “The Pakistanis have been incredible mediators throughout this process,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday. “We really appreciate their friendship and their efforts to bring this deal to a close.” Image credit

U.S. Central Command says blockade of Iranian ports will begin Monday; Tehran insists waterway remains open for civilian vessels U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. Navy to immediately blockade the Strait of Hormuz, a dramatic escalation just hours after marathon peace talks with Iran temporarily collapsed in Islamabad. The move threatens to turn a fragile ceasefire into open confrontation over the world’s most critical oil chokepoint. “We will begin the process

Despite collapsed talks in Islamabad, both sides have compelling reasons to extend the truce at least for now The collapse of 21 hours of direct U.S.-Iran negotiations over the weekend has left a two-week ceasefire looking perilously fragile. Yet for all the finger-pointing and ultimatums, a growing number of analysts and officials argue that the truce is more likely to hold than to loosen, at least in the immediate term. Image credits: Reuters “It is imperative that the part

Twenty-one hours of direct negotiations end without agreement. Tehran demands reparations and transit fees as Washington presses nuclear limits ISLAMABAD — The United States and Iran concluded their highest-level direct talks in more than four decades on Sunday without a deal to end a six-week war, leaving a fragile two-week ceasefire hanging in the balance despite an unprecedented 21-hour negotiating marathon. Vice President JD Vance, who led the American delegation at the S

ISLAMABAD — Iran’s top negotiators have laid down a stark marker as high-stakes talks with the United States enter their second day: a deal is possible only if Washington’s envoys put American interests first, not those of Israel. The warning, delivered publicly by Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, captures the deep suspicion that continues to shadow the highest-level direct negotiations between the two nations in nearly five decades. “If we negotiate in Islamabad with repre