Uncertainty surrounds 2nd round of U.S.-Iran peace talks as ceasefire deadline looms

Uncertainty is still surrounding the second round of peace talks between Iran and the United States, as the Islamic Republic still undecided as to whether to participate and U.S. President JD Vance remains in Washington D. C. instead of departing for Pakistan on Tuesday.

Iran has not yet made a definitive decision on whether to participate in its fresh talks with the U.S. in Islamabad, due to contradictory U.S. behavior, the semi-official Fars news agency reported, quoting Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei.

"It is not out of indecisiveness, it is because we are facing contradictory messages and behaviors, and unacceptable actions from the American counterpart," Beghaei said.

According to the Iranian Students' News Agency, Ahmad Naderi, a member of the Iranian parliament's presidium, said Iran will not hold a second round of talks with the U.S. until the issue of the naval blockade is resolved.

Naderi also denied previous media reports that Iran had sent a high-level delegation to Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Vance, who is expected to lead a U.S. delegation for the talks in Islamabad, remains in the U.S. capital, White House officials said Tuesday.

White House officials also disclosed that there is still considerable uncertainty as to when Vance will depart from Washington for Islamabad.

Furthermore, Trump stated that the ceasefire would end on Wednesday evening Eastern Time, while Pakistan believes it will expire at 04:50 local time on Wednesday (2350 GMT, April 21), corresponding to 19:50 Eastern Time on Tuesday.

Pakistani sources said Tuesday that U.S. expert teams for negotiations with Iran had reached Islamabad in batches in the past few days,

As of 19:30 local time (1430 GMT) on Tuesday, Pakistan was still awaiting Iran's formal confirmation of its delegation for the Islamabad peace talks, the country's Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar said in a social media post.

Tarar said Pakistan, acting as a mediator, remains in constant contact with Tehran and continues to pursue diplomacy and dialogue. He said Iran's decision to attend the talks before the two-week ceasefire ends is critical.

He added that Pakistan has made sincere efforts to persuade the Iranian leadership to join the second round of talks, and these efforts continue.

Uncertainty surrounds 2nd round of U.S.-Iran peace talks as ceasefire deadline looms

Uncertainty surrounds 2nd round of U.S.-Iran peace talks as ceasefire deadline looms

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will extend the two-week ceasefire with Iran that was set to expire on Wednesday night (midnight GMT Tuesday).

"Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The U.S. president said he will "extend the ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other."

The U.S. military will continue the blockade against Iran and "remain ready and able," according to Trump.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X Tuesday that the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports is "an act of war and thus a violation of the ceasefire" and attacking Iranian merchant ships and detaining their crew members were even more serious violations.

"Iran knows how to neutralize restrictions, how to defend its interests, and how to resist bullying," Araghchi wrote in his post.

Mehdi Mohammadi, an advisor to Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also said the U.S. blockade must be met with a military response, dismissing Trump's ceasefire extension announcement as "meaningless".

"Extending the ceasefire by Trump has no meaning. The losing side cannot dictate terms. Continuing the blockade is no different from bombing and must be met with a military response. Moreover, any extension of the ceasefire by Trump is certainly a way to buy time for a surprise attack. Now is the time for Iran to take the initiative," Mohammadi posted on X.

Trump extends ceasefire; Iran vows military response to naval blockade