The second round of US-Iran peace talks may be just a text message away. Or it might be further away than ever. President Donald Trump, in his unpredictable style, has dangled the possibility of fresh negotiations in Islamabad as early as Friday, telling the New York Post on Wednesday that a second round is “possible!”. However, while Washington is busy briefing about imminent breakthroughs, Tehran is quietly, and firmly, refusing to play along, at least not until the United States ends its illegal naval blockade.
Trump’s latest musing came in response to reports from Pakistani sources that a second round of talks was “expected in Islamabad within the next 36 to 72 hours”. The president, never one to miss a chance for dramatic headlines, replied by text: “It’s possible!”. The New York Post dutifully reported the message, adding to the fog of confusion that has surrounded the diplomatic process from the start. Yet for all the White House’s eagerness to project momentum, there is no evidence that Iran has agreed to any such timeline. A source briefed on the matter told Reuters that Trump has not even set a timeline for his own ceasefire extension, let alone secured Tehran’s buy-in for a new round of negotiations.
The reality is that Trump is once again talking to himself. Having spent weeks threatening to unleash “hell” on Iran, he was forced on Tuesday to unilaterally extend the two‑week ceasefire, a move that bore all the hallmarks of a president trapped by his own rhetoric. The extension, announced in a Truth Social post, was presented as a favour to Pakistan, which had requested time for Iranian leaders to come up with a “unified proposal”. Trump had promised to bomb Iran if no deal was reached by Wednesday; when Wednesday arrived, he blinked.
The central obstacle to any meaningful dialogue remains the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. Trump has made clear that the blockade will continue indefinitely, even as he talks about peace. “We will continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able,” he declared, while simultaneously extending the ceasefire.
Iran has been unequivocal: there will be no second round of talks until the blockade is lifted. “As soon as they lift the blockade, the next round of negotiations will be held in Islamabad,” Iran’s Ambassador to the UN, Amir‑Saeid Iravani, told Al Jazeera.
The gap between the two sides remains as wide as ever. Washington wants Iran to abandon its nuclear programme, dismantle its missile arsenal, and cede control of the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has made it clear that its defensive capabilities, including its ballistic missiles are a “red line” and are not open for negotiation. Moreover, Iran has linked the reopening of the strait to the lifting of the US blockade.