Islamabad, Pakistan. Peace talks between Iran and the United States could resume soon in Pakistan, Pakistani sources said, as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi was expected to arrive on Friday night.
Preparations for potential talks
Three Pakistani sources said the talks could restart soon in Pakistan. Two of the sources, from the Pakistani government, said a U.S. logistics and security team was already in place for potential talks.
There was no immediate direct response from Washington or Tehran to the report. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking around the same time, told a briefing that Iran had a chance to make a “good deal” with the United States.
Previous round and ceasefire extensions
The last round of peace talks had been expected on Tuesday but did not take place, with Iran saying it was not yet ready to commit to attending and a U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance never leaving Washington.
President Donald Trump unilaterally extended a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday at the 11th hour to allow more time to reconvene the negotiators.
On Thursday, Israel and Lebanon extended a separate ceasefire for three weeks at a meeting at the White House brokered by Trump. Iran considers maintaining the ceasefire in Lebanon a precondition for talks with the United States on the wider war.
Hormuz shipping tensions and blockades
Trump said on Thursday he was in no rush to reach an agreement and wanted it to be “everlasting,” while asserting that the U.S. had an upper hand in a standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy shipping route.
The United States has yet to find a way to open the strait, where Iran has blocked nearly all ships apart from its own since the start of the war eight weeks ago. Iran seized two large cargo vessels there this week.
Trump imposed a separate blockade of Iranian shipping last week, with U.S. forces boarding several Iranian ships in international waters. Iran said it would not reopen the strait until Trump lifts his blockade.
Only five ships crossed the strait in the last 24 hours, shipping data showed on Friday, compared to around 130 a day before the war. Those included one Iranian oil products tanker, but none of the crude-carrying supertankers that normally supply global energy markets.
What developments would you look for to confirm that Iran and the United States are ready to resume talks?
