U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after talks with Iran in Islamabad ended without a deal. The move ramps up pressure as both sides blame each other, while Pakistan urges restraint and the ceasefire hangs in the balance. A long day of diplomacy ended with a sharp turn. Just hours after talks collapsed in Islamabad, US President Donald Trump said the US Navy would “immediately” begin blockading the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical shipping routes. “I have instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage.” He also signaled the U.S. is prepared to escalate further if needed, saying Washington is ready to act at the “appropriate moment,” while again pointing to Iran’s nuclear ambitions as the core issue. With the world watching, there was no breakthrough moment in Islamabad. But despite no deal, there was no breakdown either. After 21 hours of high-level negotiations, the United States and Iran walked away empty-handed. Officials on all sides moved quickly to frame the narrative and signal what comes next. US Vice President JD Vance framed the outcome as a failure on Iran’s part to meet clear conditions. “The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement,” he said. “We’ve made very clear what our red lines are and they have chosen not to accept our terms.” For Washington, the core issue remains unchanged: a long-term guarantee that Iran will not pursue nuclear weapons. “We need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon. We haven’t seen that yet.” Vance said the U.S. has already put forward its “final and best offer,” leaving Tehran to decide whether to accept it. Iran’s public response was more layered. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei acknowledged partial progress but pointed to unresolved gaps. “On some issues we actually reached mutual understanding, but there was a gap over two or three important issues and ultimately the talks didn’t result in an agreement.” He said the talks grew more complicated as new issues were introduced, including the Strait of Hormuz and broader regional dynamics. But the sharper political message came from Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who led Iran’s negotiating effort. In a series of posts on X, Qalibaf said Iran had come to the table with “good faith and will,” but blamed the United States for failing to build confidence. “Now is the time for the U.S. to decide whether it can gain our trust or not.” He did not go into detail, but Iranian state media pointed to familiar sticking points, including Tehran’s nuclear program and control over transit through the Strait of Hormuz. The comments underscore a key dynamic. Iran is not just negotiating terms. It is questioning intent. Pakistan, which hosted the talks, urged both sides to continue engagement. “It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to ceasefire,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. “Pakistan will continue to facilitate engagement and dialogue in the days to come.”
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International mediators have proposed a 10-day ceasefire between the United States and Iran, according to a senior Iranian official cited in reports. The measure is described as intended to reduce hostilities and allow renewed talks on a prior interim agreement.
Both sides are assessing next steps in the current regional security situation.
Reports indicate that a US-Iran ceasefire has broken down amid renewed fighting, with the potential impact of mediation efforts by Pakistan, Qatar, and Oman remaining unclear. Earlier diplomatic steps included a June memorandum of understanding between the parties for further negotiations and talks hosted in Geneva in February.
The summary also references Europe’s historical role in diplomacy, including the 1814-15 Congress of Vienna.
Donald Trump stated in a Fox News interview that his representatives had spoken with Iranian officials an hour earlier and that those officials wanted to make a deal to end the conflict, though he noted they had broken prior agreements and expressed uncertainty about whether one would be reached.
He added that people do not want to die and that Iran would need to proceed carefully to avoid further losses. The remarks come amid an ongoing US-Iran conflict that has involved casualties and shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, with some social media users criticizing the repetition of similar statements.
Why the Iran-US ceasefire is falling apart Iran and the US have resumed fighting because they don’t see each other as ‘reliable negotiating partners’, says analyst Ali Vaez. Neither Iran nor the United States seems able to deliver a “knockout blow at an acceptable price” to the other side, and both know “they have no choice other than engaging in diplomacy”, but they’re not ready to make uncomfortable concessions, argues Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at International Crisis Group.
Vaez tells host Steve Clemons that Tehran and Washington are trying to “enforce their own interpretation” of the ceasefire agreement they signed last month. President Trump has become “frustrated” with diplomacy because he’s not seeing “the kind of quick results that he likes to see”, Vaez says.