Overview
- Pakistan, which has deployed nearly 20,000 security personnel in Islamabad, is readying venues for a second round of US–Iran diplomacy on Tuesday, even as Iranian state media says no delegation has left Tehran and US reports say Vice President J.D. Vance is set to travel.
- The two‑week ceasefire is set to lapse Wednesday evening, with a Pakistani source placing the cutoff at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on April 22, and there is no confirmed plan for formal talks before the deadline.
- US forces boarded and seized the Iran‑flagged cargo ship Touska on April 19 under a naval blockade, and Tehran condemned the move as a ceasefire breach and an obstacle to diplomacy while demanding the release of the vessel and crew.
- President Donald Trump warned that the US would destroy Iranian power plants and bridges if Tehran rejects a deal, said the blockade stays until an agreement, and signaled he is unlikely to extend the truce without clear progress.
- Control of the Strait of Hormuz, a corridor that normally carries about one‑fifth of seaborne oil and liquefied natural gas, has pushed energy prices up and left Islamabad residents navigating roadblocks and delays as Pakistan tightens security for possible talks.