Trump: Iran peace talks possible as soon as Friday

President Trump signaled Wednesday morning that a second round of peace talks between the U.S. and Iran could be coming in the next “36 to 72 hours,” a day after he indefinitely extended a ceasefire in the conflict.

“It’s possible!” Trump reportedly wrote in a text message to the New York Post when asked about the possibility of resuming negotiations soon.  

Vice President Vance was set to travel to Islamabad to represent the U.S. in another round of talks mediated by Pakistan, but the White House delayed the trip as Tehran refused to commit to participating. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, were expected to join him.

The fragile two-week ceasefire reached by the U.S. and Iran on April 7 was expected to expire on Wednesday, and Trump had previously insisted he was unlikely to agree to an extension without a deal on the table.

But he reversed course later Tuesday, writing on Truth Social that Pakistani officials had requested the U.S. “hold our attack” against Iran until the country’s leaders presented a unified proposal.

“I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other,” he wrote.

The Pakistani prime minister’s office wrote in a post on social platform X that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Iranian Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam on Wednesday to “discuss the ongoing regional situation and peace efforts.”

Iranian officials have not confirmed their participation in any further talks after one of its lead negotiators, Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, warned that the regime would not be threatened into accepting negotiations.

The U.S. and Iran also traded accusations of violating conditions of the truce on Tuesday, with Trump saying Tehran had done so “numerous times.” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s other top negotiator, claimed that the ongoing U.S. naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman amounted to “an act of war and thus a violation of the ceasefire.”

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel that transports roughly 20 percent of the global oil and gas supply, has remained a flashpoint since it was closed to shipping traffic in the early days of the conflict.

“Striking a commercial vessel and taking its crew hostage is an even greater violation,” he wrote on X. “Iran knows how to neutralize restrictions, how to defend its interests, and how to resist bullying.”

The U.S. military has directed 28 commercial vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian point since a U.S. blockade went into effect two weeks ago, according to U.S. Central Command. Naval forces also reportedly intercepted an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that was attempting to bypass the blockade over the weekend.

Tensions escalating again on Wednesday, as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked two ships in the waterway, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.

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