Iran may join peace talks after Pakistan works to end US blockade, Iran source says

Highlights:

• Tehran says it is 'positively reviewing participation in talks'
• No decision made yet, however
• Pakistan source said Trump was told US blockade is obstacle to talks
• Trump says Vance and US delegation to reach Pakistan in hours
• Ceasefire expiry looms

Iran is considering attending peace talks with the United States in Pakistan, a senior Iranian official told Reuters today (20 April), following moves by Islamabad to end a US blockade of Iran's ports, a major hurdle for Iran to rejoin peace efforts.

However, the official stressed that no decision had been made.

With a two-week ceasefire set to expire, a senior Iranian official said Tehran was "positively reviewing" its participation but no final decision had been made. The comments conveyed a clear change of tone from earlier statements ruling out attendance and pledging to retaliate for US aggression.

The Iranian official said mediator Pakistan was making positive efforts to end the US blockade and ensure Iran's participation.

The ceasefire had appeared in jeopardy after the US said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Tehran vowed to retaliate.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Washington had shown it was "not serious" about pursuing the diplomatic process, and that Tehran would not change its demands.

The US was hoping to start negotiations in Pakistan shortly before the ceasefire expires, with sweeping security preparations under way in Islamabad, but Baghaei said the US was "insisting on some unreasonable and unrealistic positions".

A senior ⁠Iranian source told Reuters that Tehran's "defensive capabilities", including its missile programme, were not open to negotiation.

US-Iran ceasefire set to expire on Tuesday night

A Pakistani security source said Pakistan's key mediator, Field Marshal Asim Munir, had told US President Donald Trump the blockade was an obstacle to talks, and that Trump had promised to consider the advice.

Trump announced the two-week ceasefire with Iran on 7 April, and has not specified when precisely it ends.

A Pakistani source involved in the talks said it would expire at 8 pm EST on Tuesday, which would be midnight GMT or 3:30am Wednesday in Iran.

Asked over the weekend about the chance of an extension, Trump replied: "I don't know. Maybe not. Maybe I won't extend it. But the blockade is going to remain."

The US has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran lifted and then reimposed its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied gas supply.

Oil prices eased from earlier highs to stand around 3-4% up on the day as traders remained fearful that the ceasefire would collapse. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was at a virtual standstill with just three crossings in the space of 12 hours, according to shipping data.

US marines board Iranian vessel

The US military said it had fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship headed towards Iran's Bandar Abbas port on Sunday ⁠after a six-hour standoff, disabling its engines. US Central Command released video showing Marines descending ropes from helicopters onto the vessel.

Iran's military said the ship had been travelling from China and accused the US of "armed piracy", according to state media. They said they were ready to confront US forces over the "blatant aggression", but were constrained by the presence of crew members' families on board.

China, the main buyer of Iranian crude, expressed concern over the "forced interception", and Chinese President Xi Jinping called for ships to resume passage through the strait as normal and for the conflict to be resolved through political and diplomatic channels, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Trump warned on Sunday that the US would destroy every bridge and power plant in Iran if it rejected his ⁠terms, continuing a recent pattern of such threats.

Iran has said that if the United States were to attack its civilian infrastructure, it would strike power stations and desalination plants in its Gulf Arab neighbours.

Preparing for talks that might not happen

Trump told the New York Post that Vice President JD Vance would arrive in Islamabad within hours at the head of a US delegation. Vance led the US delegation to the first round of talks a week ago, which also included Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff ⁠and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Despite Iran's earlier comments that it would not attend, Pakistan geared up for the talks. Nearly 20,000 security personnel have been deployed across the capital Islamabad, a government official and a security official said.

Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who has led Iran's side in negotiations, said on Saturday the two sides had made progress but were still far apart on nuclear issues and the Strait.

European allies, repeatedly criticised by Trump for not aiding his war effort, worry ⁠that Washington's negotiating team is pushing for a swift, superficial deal that would require months or years of technically complex follow on talks.

Thousands of people have been killed by US-Israeli strikes on Iran and in an Israeli invasion of Lebanon conducted in parallel since the war began on 28 February, where a truce is also currently in place.

Iran responded to the attacks with missiles and drones against Israel and nearby Arab countries that host US bases.