As the top of the ceasefire looms, listed below are the sticking factors : NPR

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Rebecca Conway/Getty Photos Vice President Vance is predicted to journey to Islamabad quickly to guide the U.S. delegation for a second spherical of peace talks with Iran forward of the expiration of a two-week ceasefire on Wednesday.

However the prospects for renewed diplomacy stay unclear. Iranian state media mentioned Tuesday that no Iranian delegations have traveled to Islamabad "to this point," whereas President Trump instructed Bloomberg Information on Monday {that a} renewal of the ceasefire was "extremely unlikely."

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran's chief negotiator and parliament speaker, accused the USA late Monday of forcing Iran to the negotiating desk and mentioned that quite the opposite, Iran has been getting ready "to disclose new playing cards on the battlefield."

"We don't settle for negotiations beneath the shadow of threats," Qalibaf wrote in a publish on social media.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc6%2Fb7%2F20671f4849909f1148cd0540570c%2Fgettyimages-2271704510.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc6%2Fb7%2F20671f4849909f1148cd0540570c%2Fgettyimages-2271704510.jpg" class="img" alt="Representatives from more than a dozen foreign diplomatic missions, United Nations offices, and the media view damage at sites previously targeted by US-Israeli strikes, on April 20, 2026 in Tehran, Iran." loading="lazy"/> Representatives from greater than a dozen international diplomatic missions, United Nations workplaces, and the media view injury at websites beforehand focused by US-Israeli strikes, on April 20, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. Majid Saeedi/Getty Photos Europe cover caption

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Majid Saeedi/Getty Photos Europe Officers in Islamabad say town stays able to host the talks, although Pakistan's authorities has given no formal indication concerning the standing of its ongoing mediation efforts.

The primary spherical of talks, held simply over every week in the past in Islamabad, ended with out an settlement. Vance later accused Iran of refusing to simply accept Washington's phrases on Iran's plans for nuclear enrichment.

With the present ceasefire set to run out on Wednesday night Jap time, listed below are the principle sticking factors:

What's the U.S. asking Iran to do? For officers in Washington, the details of competition stay management over the Strait of Hormuz and the way forward for Iran's nuclear program.

The Trump administration has mentioned it needs industrial transport via the strategic waterway to be totally restored. Round 20% of the world's crude oil and pure fuel passes via the slender strait.

For the reason that begin of the warfare on Feb. 28, Iran's major leverage over the U.S. has been its management of the strait, together with the gathering of tolls from industrial ships passing via it as a situation for reopening the waterway.

"The weaker celebration features simply by advantage of coming into right into a negotiation course of, Mark Freeman, govt director of the Institute for Built-in Transitions, a peace and safety assume tank primarily based in Spain, instructed NPR.

Iran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz has rattled international markets, elevating the nationwide common worth of fuel above $4 a gallon.

The opposite massive demand coming from Washington facilities on Iran's nuclear program – and whether or not Tehran will settle for limits on nuclear enrichment.

In an interview with The John Fredericks Present Monday, President Trump mentioned Iran would return to negotiations, however insisted Tehran "won't have a nuclear weapon."

"They'll negotiate," Trump mentioned. "And if they do not, they are going to see issues like they've by no means seen earlier than."

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb0%2Fd2%2F5c27faaf4ed9a5f08e26cc9ccd96%2Fgettyimages-2271678188.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb0%2Fd2%2F5c27faaf4ed9a5f08e26cc9ccd96%2Fgettyimages-2271678188.jpg" class="img" alt="A commercial vessel is seen off the coast of Dubai on April 20, 2026." loading="lazy"/> A industrial vessel is seen off the coast of Dubai on April 20, 2026. AFP by way of Getty Photos cover caption

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AFP by way of Getty Photos Trump has persistently mentioned that one of many major targets of the warfare with Iran is to make sure that it by no means has a nuclear weapon. In his first interview after the preventing began, he mentioned he believed Iran was "going to assault first" if the USA didn't act. Trump didn't cite intelligence to help that declare.

Vice President Vance mentioned the primary spherical of ceasefire talks held over every week in the past broke down as a result of Iran wouldn't decide to forgoing a nuclear weapon.

"The easy reality is that we have to see an affirmative dedication that they won't search a nuclear weapon, and they won't search the instruments that may allow them to shortly obtain a nuclear weapon," Vance mentioned.

For Iran, Lebanon and finish to blockade stay key calls for For Tehran, the important thing calls for for extending the ceasefire embrace an finish to the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and ensures that the preventing between Israel and Hezbollah wouldn't resume.

Israel and Lebanon entered a 10-day ceasefire final week, pausing preventing between Israel's navy and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. That ceasefire continues to be holding.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2Fa6%2F9e3f19994dce8fcb873c664d5337%2Fgettyimages-2271710209.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2Fa6%2F9e3f19994dce8fcb873c664d5337%2Fgettyimages-2271710209.jpg" class="img" alt="Mourners carry the flag-draped caskets of members of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah who were killed in southern Lebanon during their funeral in the Kafaat area in Beirut's southern suburbs on April 20, 2026." loading="lazy"/> Mourners carry the flag-draped caskets of members of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah who have been killed in southern Lebanon throughout their funeral within the Kafaat space in Beirut's southern suburbs on April 20, 2026. Fadel Itani/AFP by way of Getty Photos cover caption

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Fadel Itani/AFP by way of Getty Photos Iran had earlier refused to interact in additional negotiations with the USA except Israel stopped its assaults on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel, nonetheless, has vowed to maintain its troops in southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah mentioned the Lebanese folks preserve the "proper to withstand" Israeli forces within the nation.

Preventing between Israel and Hezbollah broke out shortly after the beginning of the warfare with Iran on Feb. 28, with Hezbollah firing rockets into northern Israel in a present of solidarity with Tehran. Israeli forces responded with airstrikes and an invasion of southern Lebanon in an effort to create a "buffer zone" to distance Hezbollah hearth from Israeli border communities.

Israel's strikes have killed greater than 2,100 folks and displaced over 1 million in Lebanon, based on Lebanese authorities. Hezbollah's assaults have killed a minimum of 12 Israeli troopers and two civilians, based on Israeli authorities.

As for the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, Iran has made it clear it sees lifting the blockade as a situation for additional diplomacy.

After the primary spherical of ceasefire talks in Islamabad ended with out an settlement, the U.S. navy blockaded Iranian transport ports, in a bid to strain Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in addition to put financial strain on Iran to finish the warfare. The U.S. Navy says it has compelled 27 ships to show again because the blockade started.

Iran responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz for a second time, after briefly reopening the important thing transport route for lower than a day.

Iranian officers have additionally signaled they need monetary aid, together with entry to $6 billion in frozen property, and don't wish to negotiate whereas Washington retains up navy and financial strain.