US and Iran signal they will return to Pakistan for ceasefire talks, officials say

Police officers stand guard at a checkpoint on a barricaded ahead of the second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (Photo: AP)

ISLAMABAD, April 21, 2026 (AP) – Two regional officials tell The Associated Press that the United States and Iran are signaling they will hold a new round of ceasefire talks in Islamabad as a fragile two-week truce was due to expire.

Pakistan-led mediators received confirmation that the top negotiators will arrive in Islamabad early Wednesday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

Pakistan is preparing for a new round of talks even after U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to throw cold water on hopes for reaching an agreement to end the war. Trump told Bloomberg News on Monday that he’s “highly unlikely” to renew the ceasefire set to expire Wednesday.

Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s chief negotiator and parliament speaker, wrote in a post on X early Tuesday that “We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats,” and the Islamic Republic has been preparing “to reveal new cards on the battlefield.”

Since the war started, fighting has killed at least 3,375 people in Iran and more than 2,290 in Lebanon. Additionally, 23 people have died in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 U.S. service members throughout the region have been killed.

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T.K.B. Sen

Journalist, media worker, reporter and analyst

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