The United States and Iran entered talks on the 11th (local time) to end the war, but they stalled over differences on the key issue of control of the Strait of Hormuz. The bilateral negotiations, held in Islamabad, Pakistan, continued for more than eight hours past midnight, but reportedly ran in parallel without clear agreement. The meeting is the highest-level face-to-face negotiation in about 47 years since the two countries severed diplomatic ties in 1979.
The talks were held in a three-way format with Pakistan participating as mediator. On the U.S. side, Vice President JD Vance attended along with President Donald Trump's eldest son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Steven Witkoff. The U.S. delegation was reportedly about 300 people, including security personnel. From Iran, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attended. Iran's total delegation was said to be about 70 people.
According to Iranian outlets IRNA and Tasnim, the meeting began at about 5:30 p.m. Pakistan time that day. The two sides each met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at midday to discuss the agenda and format, then entered full negotiations. The venue was the five-star Serena Hotel in Islamabad.
The biggest point of collision was control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for global oil shipments. The United States demanded the immediate opening of the strait, while Iran held to the position that it could open it only after a final agreement. In particular, Iran reportedly rejected a plan to jointly manage the strait with the United States and insisted on sole control and the authority to levy transit fees. Citing negotiators, the British daily Financial Times (FT) reported that "talks on control of the Strait of Hormuz have reached an impasse."
The two countries took breaks twice in the afternoon and then resumed talks. At about 1 a.m. on the 12th, roughly eight hours after the start, IRIB announced the resumption of a "third round of talks," commenting, "Given the United States' excessive demands, this appears to be the last chance for the Iranian delegation to derive common ground from the U.S. side." Iran's Mehr News Agency said the talks could continue on the 12th if necessary, but also predicted "signs that the talks will not last more than a day." With neither side showing signs of backing down on core issues, observers say it will be difficult to reach an armistice agreement in the short term.
Military tensions continued even as negotiations proceeded. The U.S. military began minesweeping operations in the Strait of Hormuz that day, ratcheting up pressure. Israel also continued airstrikes in southern Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "Operations against Iran and Hezbollah are not over yet." Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters, "I don't care whether there's a deal or not. Whatever happens, we have won," pressing Iran.
The meeting came four days after the two countries agreed on a two-week truce on the 7th, and 42 days after the war broke out on Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran.