Axios: Iran will still send its delegation to Pakistan for talks with the US. They were waiting for permission from the Supreme Leader

A US delegation led by Vice President J.D. Vance will arrive in Islamabad on Tuesday, April 21, to participate in negotiations with Iranian representatives.

Axios reports this, citing three sources in the US.

According to them, the White House had been waiting all Monday for a signal from Tehran that it would send its negotiating team to Islamabad. At the same time, the Iranian delegation was waiting for permission from the Supreme Leader and received it on Monday evening.

Axios notes that the Iranian side was stalling due to pressure from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on negotiators to adopt a tougher stance — no talks without an end to the United Statesʼ naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Pakistani, Egyptian and Turkish mediators also called on Iran to attend the meeting.

From the US, Vice President J.D. Vance (already on his way) and presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will arrive in Pakistan for talks today.

The meeting is being prepared against the backdrop of the expiration of the ceasefire, which was announced on April 8. In fact, it was supposed to expire on Tuesday, April 21. But US President Donald Trump said the day before that the deadline was Wednesday evening, April 22.

Axiosʼ American sources say Trump may agree to extend the deadline if there are signs of progress in the talks. He has previously threatened to launch a new campaign of bombing Iranian bridges and power plants if a deal is not reached.

War in the Middle East and negotiations between Iran and the US

On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials.

Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, began shelling Arab countries and Israel. The war also halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. It was through it that almost a fifth of the worldʼs oil exports passed — tens of millions of barrels a day.

On April 8, the parties agreed to a two-week ceasefire. On April 13, the United States began a naval blockade of Iranian ports, demanding the complete unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz for all ships.

On April 17, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, after which Iran unblocked the Strait of Hormuz. However, on April 18, Iran announced that it was again blocking the Strait of Hormuz due to the US naval blockade. On the same day , Iran fired on several ships attempting to pass through the strait.

On April 19, Donald Trump reported that his representatives would go to Pakistan for talks. But Iran refused to send its delegation. The Foreign Ministry noted that the US had violated the ceasefire, and Iran “cannot forget the US attacks on it during previous talks”.

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