The first round in Islamabad ended without a deal. A second round is confirmed for later this week in Pakistan. And the ceasefire expires next week.
Trump told reporters Tuesday that something could happen in Pakistan within two days. The UN Secretary General called a second round “highly probable.” Iran said it would participate, not out of trust, but to “expose US behaviour” at the table. JD Vance, who led the first delegation, said he feels “very good” about where things are and that Trump wants the “grand bargain,” not a small deal.
The nuclear question is what collapsed the first round and will define the second. Iran says enrichment is a sovereign right. The US is demanding full dismantlement of major facilities and the retrieval of Iran’s highly enriched uranium. Neither side has moved.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said afterwards the two sides came within inches of an understanding but “encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade.” With the ceasefire expiring April 21 and both sides heading back to Islamabad, this second round may be the last real chance at a deal.
