President Donald Trump announced Monday that Iran has contacted the United States to initiate a new round of negotiations following the collapse of talks in Pakistan over the country's nuclear program.
Speaking to the press from the Oval Office, Trump stated, “We have been contacted by the other side,” and added, “They want to reach a deal at all costs.”
The president did not reveal whether he has officially agreed to return to the negotiating table with Tehran. He reiterated that his primary objective is to prevent the Islamic Republic from obtaining a nuclear weapon, warning that he will not allow Iran to “blackmail” the rest of the world.
Negotiations held in Islamabad concluded Sunday without an agreement. According to reports from UNN citing Axios, the United States proposed a 20-year moratorium on uranium enrichment and demanded that Iran export all highly enriched uranium from the country.
Iranian officials reportedly rejected the full moratorium, offering instead a “controlled process of enrichment reduction,” according to sources familiar with the situation.
Strait of Hormuz blockade
Following the failure of the Islamabad talks, Trump announced that the United States will block the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway for global crude oil trade. Iran previously blocked the strait in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli military offensives that began on February 28.
In a message posted to Truth Social, Trump threatened to “immediately eliminate” any Iranian vessel that bypasses the U.S. Navy blockade and continues to navigate the strait.
Global markets reacted to the diplomatic breakdown with volatility. Oil prices rose following the news, and stock markets fell as the lack of an agreement in Islamabad weighed on investor sentiment.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump is currently considering ending the temporary truce established on April 8 to resume bombings against Iran as a tactic to break the negotiating deadlock.
