Trump says Iran talks to continue as Strait of Hormuz remains shut

President Donald Trump said U.S. negotiators will be in Pakistan for talks with Iran on Monday, continuing negotiations as Iran said it expects to have a proposed deal ready in the next few days. The talks come as transit through the Strait of Hormuz remains impossible and as Trump said limited strikes against Iran are possible if diplomacy fails.

Trump announced that U.S. negotiators will be in Pakistan for talks with Iran on Monday after Iran reversed its decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying it will continue to block transit through the strait as long as the U.S. blockade on ports remains in place. Iran has yet to confirm the talks, but its chief negotiator and parliament speaker said that “there will be no retreat in the field of diplomacy” during a televised interview Saturday night.

Vice President JD Vance is expected to again lead the delegations in Pakistan, alongside envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the White House said. On Saturday, Iran said it has received new proposals from the United States, but it is unclear whether either side has changed stances on key issues that derailed the last round of negotiations, including Iran’s nuclear program, its regional proxies and control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump warned on Friday that limited strikes against Iran are possible even as Iran’s top diplomat said Tehran expects to have a proposed deal ready in “the next two to three days” to send to Washington. The diplomat said, “I don't think it takes long, perhaps, in a matter of a week or so, we can start real, serious negotiations on the text and come to a conclusion.”

Trump said a day earlier that he believes 10 to 15 days is “enough time” for Iran to reach a deal following recent rounds of indirect negotiations, including this week in Geneva, that made little visible progress. The talks have been deadlocked for years, and Iran has refused to discuss wider U.S. and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups.

Iran’s top diplomat also said his American counterparts have not asked for zero enrichment of uranium as part of the latest round of talks. “What we are now talking about is how to make sure that Iran's nuclear programme, including enrichment, is peaceful and will remain peaceful forever,” he said, adding that in return Iran will implement some confidence-building measures in exchange for relief on economic sanctions. A White House official said Trump has been clear that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or the capacity to build them and that it cannot enrich uranium.

Meanwhile, Iranian officials maintained their stance on Sunday that ships would not pass while a U.S. blockade remains in effect. “It is impossible for others to pass through the Strait of Hormuz while we cannot,” the parliament speaker said. Trump further accused Iran of violating the fragile ceasefire agreement by firing at ships transiting the strait, while Iran called the U.S. blockade a violation and an “act of aggression.” Trump has stated the U.S. blockade will “remain in full force” until a deal is made.

The tensions between the longtime adversaries have ramped up as the Trump administration pushes for concessions from Iran and has built up the largest U.S. military presence in West Asia in decades, with more warships and aircraft on the way. Both countries have signalled that they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran's nuclear programme fizzle out.