Overview
- Trump extended the truce on Tuesday at Pakistan’s request and told the U.S. military to keep blocking Iranian ports near the Strait of Hormuz.
- Plans for a second round of talks in Islamabad are now uncertain as the White House paused Vice President JD Vance’s trip and Iran has not confirmed it will send negotiators.
- Iran’s parliament speaker and lead negotiator said Tehran will not negotiate “under the shadow of threats” and tied any return to talks to lifting the blockade.
- U.S. forces have turned back at least 27 ships and boarded sanctioned vessels in recent days, while maritime trackers reported some tankers still slipping through the strait.
- Control of Hormuz and limits on Iran’s nuclear program remain the core disputes, with oil prices hovering near $100 and shippers facing higher costs and delays through this key route that carries about one-fifth of seaborne oil and gas.