The United States expressed confidence that peace talks ​with Iran would go ahead in Pakistan and a senior Iranian official said Tehran was considering joining, but significant hurdles and uncertainty remained as the end of a ceasefire ‌approached.

U.S. President Donald Trump wants an agreement that would prevent further oil price rises and stock markets shocks but ​has insisted Iran cannot have the means to develop a nuclear weapon. Tehran hopes to leverage its control of the Strait ⁠of Hormuz to strike a deal that averts a restart of the war, eases sanctions but does not impede its nuclear program.

Top-level peace talks between the United States and Iran entered a second day early Sunday (April 12, 2026), as Washington piled pressure by saying it had sent minesweeping ships through the vital Strait of Hormuz.

In the Pakistani capital Islamabad, Vice President J.D. Vance on Saturday (April 11, 2026) became the highest-ranking American to meet directly with Iranian officials since the 1979 Islamic revolution, days after the United States and Israel halted their war that had plunged West Asia and global economy into tumult.