Overview
- After more than 20 hours of negotiations in Islamabad that stretched into early Sunday, US and Iranian delegations left without a deal on a longer truce.
- US Vice President J. D. Vance insisted on a binding pledge that Iran end its nuclear program, while President Trump said he would consider closing the Strait of Hormuz to ships from states that cut separate deals with Tehran.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday he was not surprised the Islamabad talks were halted and argued they did not appear well prepared.
- In Berlin on Tuesday, Germany and Ukraine upgraded ties to a strategic partnership that includes joint production of drones, artillery munitions, and systems to intercept ballistic missiles, plus closer sharing of combat data to speed weapons development.
- A Greenpeace analysis reported by ZDF alleges German oil firms reaped about €1.18 billion in extra profits from March 2 to April 12 as war-driven shipping and supply strains lifted fuel prices.