As the U.S.-Iran ceasefire deadline looms, here are the main sticking points - BERITAJA

A personnel of Pakistani information unit looks complete a checkpoint from a constabulary booth amid heightened information up of a imaginable gathering betwixt U.S. and Iranian officials connected April 20, 2026 successful Islamabad, Pakistan. Rebecca Conway/Getty Images

Rebecca Conway/Getty Images

Vice President Vance is expected to recreation to Islamabad soon to lead a U.S. delegation for a 2nd information of bid talks pinch Iran up of the expiration of a two-week ceasefire connected Wednesday.

But the prospects for renewed diplomacy stay unclear. Iranian authorities media said Tuesday that nary Iranian delegations person traveled to Islamabad "so far," while President Trump told Bloomberg News connected Monday that a renewal of the ceasefire was "highly unlikely."

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran's main negotiator and parliament speaker, accused the United States precocious Monday of forcing Iran to the negotiating array and said that connected the contrary, Iran has been preparing "to uncover caller cards connected the battlefield."

"We do not judge negotiations nether the protector of threats," Qalibaf wrote successful a station connected societal media.

Representatives from much than a twelve overseas negotiated missions, United Nations offices, and the media position harm astatine sites antecedently targeted by US-Israeli strikes, connected April 20, 2026 successful Tehran, Iran. Majid Saeedi/Getty Images Europe

Majid Saeedi/Getty Images Europe

Officials successful Islamabad opportunity the metropolis remains fresh to big the talks, though Pakistan's authorities has fixed nary general denotation about the position of its ongoing mediation efforts.

The first information of talks, held conscionable complete a week agone successful Islamabad, ended without an agreement. Vance later accused Iran of refusing to judge Washington's position connected Iran's plans for atomic enrichment.

With President Trump saying the Iran ceasefire will expire Wednesday evening Eastern time, present are the main sticking points successful the negotiations:

What is the U.S. asking Iran to do?

For officials successful Washington, the main points of contention stay power complete the Strait of Hormuz and the early of Iran's atomic program.

The Trump management has said it wants commercialized shipping done the strategical waterway to beryllium afloat restored. Around 20% of the world's crude lipid and earthy state passes done the constrictive strait.

Since the commencement of the warfare connected Feb. 28, Iran's main leverage complete the U.S. has been its power of the strait, including the postulation of tolls from commercialized ships passing done it arsenic a information for reopening the waterway.

"The weaker statement gains conscionable by kindness of entering into a speech process," Mark Freeman, executive head of the Institute for Integrated Transitions, a bid and information deliberation vessel based successful Spain, told BERITAJA.

Iran's grip connected the Strait of Hormuz has rattled world markets, raising the nationalist average value of state supra $4 a gallon.

The different large request coming from Washington centers connected Iran's atomic programme – and whether Tehran will judge limits connected atomic enrichment.

In an question and reply pinch The John Fredericks Show Monday, an AM power talk show, President Trump said Iran would return to negotiations, but insisted Tehran "will not person a atomic weapon."

"They're going to negotiate," Trump said. "And if they don't, they're going to spot problems for illustration they've ne'er seen before."

A commercialized alloy is seen disconnected the seashore of Dubai connected April 20, 2026. AFP via Getty Images

AFP via Getty Images

Trump has consistently said that 1 of the main objectives of the warfare pinch Iran is to guarantee that it ne'er has a atomic weapon. In his first question and reply aft the fighting started, he said he believed Iran was "going to onslaught first" if the United States did not act. Trump did not mention intelligence to support that claim.

Vice President Vance said the first information of ceasefire talks held complete a week agone collapsed down because Iran would not perpetrate to forgoing a atomic weapon.

"The elemental truth is that we request to spot an affirmative committedness that they will not activity a atomic weapon, and they will not activity the devices that would alteration them to quickly execute a atomic weapon," Vance said.

For Iran, Lebanon and extremity to blockade stay cardinal demands

For Tehran, the cardinal demands for extending the ceasefire see an extremity to the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and guarantees that the fighting betwixt Israel and Hezbollah would not resume.

Israel and Lebanon entered a 10-day ceasefire past week, pausing fighting betwixt Israel's subject and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. That ceasefire is still holding.

Mourners transportation the flag-draped caskets of members of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah who were killed successful confederate Lebanon during their ceremonial successful the Kafaat area successful Beirut's confederate suburbs connected April 20, 2026. Fadel Itani/AFP via Getty Images

Fadel Itani/AFP via Getty Images

Iran had earlier refused to prosecute successful much negotiations pinch the United States unless Israel stopped its attacks connected Hezbollah successful Lebanon.

Israel, however, has vowed to support its troops successful confederate Lebanon, and Hezbollah said the Lebanese group support the "right to resist" Israeli forces successful the country.

Fighting betwixt Israel and Hezbollah collapsed retired soon aft the commencement of the warfare pinch Iran connected Feb. 28, pinch Hezbollah firing rockets into bluish Israel successful a show of solidarity pinch Tehran. Israeli forces responded pinch airstrikes and an penetration of confederate Lebanon in an effort to create a "buffer zone" to region Hezbollah occurrence from Israeli separator communities.

Israel's strikes person killed much than 2,100 group and displaced complete 1 cardinal successful Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities. Hezbollah's attacks person killed astatine slightest 12 Israeli soldiers and 2 civilians, according to Israeli authorities.

As for the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, Iran has made it clear it sees lifting the blockade arsenic a information for further diplomacy.

After the first information of ceasefire talks successful Islamabad ended without an agreement, the U.S. subject blockaded Iranian shipping ports, successful a bid to unit Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz arsenic good arsenic put economical unit connected Iran to extremity the war. The U.S. Navy says it has forced 27 ships to move backmost since the blockade began.

Iran responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz for a 2nd time, aft concisely reopening the cardinal shipping way for little than a day.

Iranian officials person besides signaled they want financial relief, including entree to $6 cardinal successful stiff assets, and do not want to discuss while Washington keeps up subject and economical pressure.

Rebecca Rosman contributed to this study from London.