US-Iran Talks Pause for Now, Disagreements Remain

US-Iran Talks Pause: Ceasefire and Strait of Hormuz Disputes Remain Unresolved

Overview of Recent US-Iran Negotiations and Key Issues

By Ariba Shahid, Asif Shahzad and Parisa Hafezi

Background and Context of the Talks

ISLAMABAD, April 12 (Reuters) - Negotiations between the United States and Iran appeared to have concluded for now, Iran's government said early on Sunday, after a series of talks in Pakistan https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistani-five-star-hotel-becomes-unlikely-site-us-iran-talks-2026-04-11/ to end the six-week war https://www.reuters.com/world/iran/ between Washington and Tehran.

The talks in Islamabad were the first direct U.S.-Iranian meeting in more than a decade and the highest-level discussions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The outcome could determine the fate of the fragile two-week ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for about 20% of global energy supplies that Iran has blocked since the war began. The conflict has sent global oil prices soaring and killed thousands of people.

Progress and Statements from Both Sides

In a post on X, Iran's government said that after 14 hours, the talks had concluded and technical experts from both sides would exchange documents.

"Negotiations will continue despite some remaining differences," the post added, though it did not say when they would restart.

An Iranian state TV reporter said the talks would continue on Sunday.

Key Participants and Mediation Efforts

U.S. Vice President JD Vance https://www.reuters.com/world/us/vance-warns-iran-not-play-us-he-leaves-talks-2026-04-10/, special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi for two hours before a rest, according to a source from mediator Pakistan.

The Trump administration had not yet commented on whether the negotiations had concluded and what, if any, differences remain.

Symbolic Gestures and Tensions

The Iranian delegation arrived on Friday dressed in black in mourning for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and others killed in the war. They carried shoes and bags of some students killed during the U.S. bombing of a school nL6N400164 next to a military compound, the Iranian government said. The Pentagon has said the strike is under investigation but Reuters has reported https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-investigation-points-likely-us-responsibility-iran-school-strike-sources-say-2026-03-06/ that military investigators believe the U.S. was likely responsible for it.

"There were mood swings from the two sides and the temperature went up and down during the meeting," another Pakistani source said in reference to the first round of talks.

For the U.S.-Iran talks, Islamabad, a city of more than 2 million people, was locked down with thousands of paramilitary personnel and army troops on the streets.

Pakistan's mediating role is a remarkable transformation nL4N40J13V for a nation that was a diplomatic outcast a year ago.

Strait of Hormuz: Central Dispute in Negotiations

STRAIT OF HORMUZ

Military Movements and Conflicting Claims

As the talks started, the U.S. military said it was "setting the conditions" to start clearing the Strait of Hormuz.

The Strait of Hormuz is central to the ceasefire talks. The U.S. military said two of its warships had passed through the strait and conditions were being set to clear mines, while Iran's state media denied any U.S. ships had transited the waterway.

Assets, Demands, and Negotiation Points

Before the talks began, a senior Iranian source told Reuters the U.S. had agreed to release frozen assets nL1N40U035 in Qatar and other foreign banks. A U.S. official denied agreeing to release the money.

As well as the release of assets abroad, Tehran is demanding control of the Strait of Hormuz, payment of war reparations and a ceasefire across the region including in Lebanon, according to Iranian state TV and officials.

Tehran nL6N40U01E also wants to collect transit fees nL1N40Q0L0 in the Strait of Hormuz.

US and Israeli Objectives

Trump's stated goals have shifted, but as a minimum he wants free passage for global shipping through the strait and the crippling of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme to ensure it cannot produce an atomic bomb.

U.S. ally Israel, which joined the February 28 attacks on Iran that launched the war, has also been bombing Tehran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and says that conflict is not part of the Iran-U.S. ceasefire.

Atmosphere and Outlook

Mutual distrust is high.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaux worldwide; Writing by Idrees Ali; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)