Vance to fly to Pakistan for ceasefire talks again, Iran greenlights participation: Report

US Vice President JD Vance is expected to depart for Islamabad by Tuesday (21 April, US Time) morning to resume negotiations with Iran over a potential deal to end the war, three US officials told Axios on Monday night (local time). The trip comes as the two-week ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump teeters on the edge of expiry — and as Tehran's own negotiators received a last-minute green light from Iran's supreme leader to attend the talks, according to Axios.

US Vice President JD Vance Heads to Islamabad as Ceasefire Deadline Looms

The diplomatic push comes at a moment of acute urgency. Trump announced the ceasefire on 7 April, and although the two-week window was set to close on Tuesday, he told reporters on Monday that the deadline had effectively been extended to “Wednesday evening Washington time.”

Vance will not travel alone. Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and special envoy, Steve Witkoff, are also expected to travel to Pakistan for the talks. Trump himself said he would love to attend in person, but did not believe his presence would be necessary.

"There's going to be a meeting. They want a meeting, and they should want a meeting. And it can work out well," Trump said.

Behind the scenes, the White House spent Monday anxiously awaiting a signal from Tehran confirming it would send a negotiating team to Islamabad. The Iranians, according to an official familiar with the matter, were stalling, caught between pressure from the Revolutionary Guards to hold a firmer line and diplomatic encouragement from Pakistani, Egyptian and Turkish mediators urging them to the table. The supreme leader's clearance arrived on Monday night.

Iran Says No Talks Under Threat — But Sends a Team Anyway

Tehran's public posture remained defiant. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the country had no plans for new talks with the United States and accused Washington of undermining diplomacy through ceasefire violations.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian added his voice to the scepticism, posting on X that "deep historical mistrust in Iran toward US gov conduct remains" and declaring that “Iranians do not submit to force.”

The contradictions within Tehran's own camp ran deeper than the public statements suggested. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf broke with hardliners, criticising opponents of a potential deal as "extremist" actors undermining negotiations. He also expressed concern over growing political pressure on himself and Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, according to Iran International.

Trump's Ultimatum: No Deal, No Open Strait

Trump made his position on the Strait of Hormuz unambiguous. The critical waterway — through which a significant share of the world's energy supplies flow — will remain blockaded until a deal is signed.

"The Iranians desperately want it opened. I'm not opening it until a deal is signed," Trump said in a phone interview on Monday.

Iran had previously announced it would reopen the strait for international shipping, only to reverse course when Trump declined to lift the US blockade. Over the weekend, US Navy forces seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman.

"I have it closed. I took their ship. I got five other ships I'll take today if I have to," Trump said.

The president also ruled out extending the ceasefire if no agreement materialises, even as he acknowledged the deadline has shifted.

"I'm not going to be rushed into making a bad deal. We've got all the time in the world," he said. Then, in the same breath: "It's highly unlikely that I'd extend it."

Nuclear Weapons and Enriched Uranium: The Hardest Issue on the Table

Beyond the Strait of Hormuz, the most intractable dispute concerns Iran's nuclear programme. Trump demanded that Iran formally renounce any ambitions for a nuclear weapon and surrender its stockpiles of enriched uranium. Tehran has refused to relinquish its uranium and maintains that its nuclear activities are entirely for peaceful purposes.

Trump and his advisers have deliberately cultivated ambiguity about what would happen if the ceasefire collapsed, viewing strategic uncertainty as a source of leverage in the negotiations. But that same ambiguity carries risks — not least the potential for catastrophic misreadings between two sides already operating with deep mutual suspicion.

The president also threatened to launch a new bombing campaign targeting Iranian bridges and power plants if no deal was reached.

Markets on Edge as Oil Surges Past $95 a Barrel

Financial markets have been watching the negotiations with barely concealed anxiety. Equities retreated from record highs on Monday after Trump's comments about the low likelihood of a ceasefire extension, snapping a five-day winning streak. Oil prices surged, with Brent crude trading near $95 a barrel as of early afternoon in New York — up more than 5% on the day.

The war, which began in late February when the US and Israel struck Iran, has already triggered a worldwide energy crisis. Iranian forces responded to those initial strikes by hitting US bases across the region and destroying oil and gas infrastructure belonging to American allies in the Persian Gulf.

Trump Under Pressure at Home to End the War

The diplomatic push is not solely driven by geopolitical calculus. Trump is facing mounting domestic pressure to bring the conflict to a close, with polling consistently showing that most Americans disapprove of the war. The president campaigned on keeping the US out of foreign entanglements and lowering consumer prices — two commitments significantly strained by the decision to enter the conflict.

The war has already outlasted the four-to-six week timeline Trump originally projected. He has repeatedly assured the public that a conclusion was imminent while simultaneously urging patience.

"Vietnam lasted how many decades, right? Vietnam lasted years. Afghanistan lasted years. They all lasted years," Trump said. "I'm not going to be rushed into making a bad deal by treasonous senators and treasonous congresspeople."

Despite the brinkmanship on both sides, US and Iranian officials say there remains a genuine chance of a deal in the coming days — one that could effectively end the fighting, even if deeper negotiations over nuclear and military issues would need to follow.

Talks between US and Iranian negotiators are expected to take place in Pakistan on Tuesday or Wednesday, ahead of a ceasefire deadline Trump has set for Wednesday evening Washington time.