Washington is signaling growing confidence that it can strike a sweeping peace agreement with Iran, even as tensions flare over a US-led naval blockade and Tehran’s threats to disrupt vital global shipping lanes.
US officials say a second round of indirect talks is being prepared in Pakistan, after an initial attempt in Islamabad failed to produce a breakthrough. A Pakistani delegation has already visited Tehran carrying a new message from Washington, part of an effort to revive negotiations that could reshape the security landscape of the Middle East.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that follow-up talks “would very likely” take place in Islamabad and that the administration “feels good about the prospects of a deal.” Her comments followed an intense diplomatic push by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has been shuttling between regional capitals, including a high-profile meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
US Vice President JD Vance, who led the first round of talks, has described Washington’s proposal as a “grand bargain” aimed at ending the six-week war involving Israel and the United States, while also addressing Iran’s long-running nuclear dispute. According to US and Israeli officials, the emerging framework would require Iran to remove enriched nuclear material, dismantle its enrichment capability and accept new constraints on its activities around the Strait of Hormuz.
The narrow waterway, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil normally passes, has been heavily militarized since the conflict erupted. The United States has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, with US Central Command claiming it has “completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea” and turned back multiple vessels. Iranian media, however, report that some shipping continues, and senior Iranian commanders warn that the blockade could trigger a collapse of the current ceasefire.
Tehran has threatened to halt all exports and imports across the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Red Sea if the blockade is not lifted, and senior military figures have vowed to target US ships should Washington attempt to “police” the Strait of Hormuz.
At the core of the talks is the nuclear file. President Donald Trump insists any agreement must permanently bar Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Washington is reportedly seeking a 20-year suspension of uranium enrichment, while Iran has floated a shorter-term freeze and insists its program is purely civilian, though it says the level of enrichment remains negotiable.
