lian counterparts• Xi tells Saudi crown prince ‘normal traffic’ thru Hormuz must be maintained• Moscow hopes talks will continue; Macron denounces Hormuz blockade• Unprecedented security deployment in Islamabad ahead of expected talks ISLAMABAD/WASH­IN­GTON: With the ceasefire between Iran and the US set to expire tomorrow (Wednesday), a US delegation is expected to head to Islamabad today (Tuesday), while Tehran also appeared open to sending its team for the second round of peace talks. CNN reported that Vice President JD Vance and other top US officials were expected to depart for Islamabad on Tuesday, while an unnamed Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran was considering attending talks following reported moves by Islamabad to end a US blockade of Iran’s ports.

However, there was no official announcement from Iran by the time this report went to press. The media and security personnel are seen on Constitution Avenue AFP / Mohammad Asim / Reuters Speaking about the talks, US President Don­ald Trump said the ceasefire ends on Wednesday evening, and told Bloo­mberg it would be highly unlikely he would extend the two-week ceasefire if a deal was not reached before the expiry of the ceasefire. The two-week truce was supposed to expire at 8pm (Eastern) on Tuesday, April 21.

As per Trump’s latest claim, it will now end on Wednesday evening US time. In a separate post on Truth Social, he defended his war with Iran, saying that he was not persuaded by Israel to attack the country. “The results in Iran will be amazing,” he said, adding, “And if Iran’s new leaders (regime change!) are smart, Iran can have a great and prosperous future!” In a social media post, President Trump said he believed a nuclear deal the US was currently negotiating with Iran would be better than a 2015 international agreement to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme.

On the other hand, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian criticised “unconstructive and contradictory” signals by the US, saying they carried a “bitter message”. “Honouring commitments is the basis of meaningful dialogue,” he said on X. “Deep historical mistrust in Iran toward [the] US [government] conduct remains, while unconstructive and contradictory signals from American officials carry a bitter message; they seek Iran’s surrender.

Iranians do not submit to force.” He also said that his country would try to end the Middle East war with “integrity, wisdom and expediency”, state-run news agency IRNA reported. The police officers divert traffic from a road leading to Serena Hotel, the venue for the expected US-Iran talks.— AFP / Mohammad Asim / Reuters Iran’s foreign ministry said that the US was not serious about pursuing diplomacy, citing what it called “violations” of their two-week ceasefire, AFP reported. Its spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said a US attack on an Iranian cargo ship, the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, and delays in implementing a ceasefire in Lebanon were all “clear violations of the ceasefire”.

Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also said Tehran was continuing talks with the United States but was ready to take “necessary measures” amid rising tensions, TRT World reported. “We do not trust the enemy. At any moment, it may escalate the war,” Ghalibaf said in televised remarks, according to the Mehr news agency.

Hormuz blockade Tensions in the Middle East further escalated following the seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman by US forces on Sunday. Trump described the move as enforcement of restrictions on Iranian ports, while Tehran called it “piracy” and responded with increased drone activity near US naval assets in the region surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. The US has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran lifted and then reimposed its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

The blockade also featured in a reported conversation between Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and the US president. Reuters reported on Monday that FM Munir told Trump the US blockade on Iranian ports was a hurdle to negotiations and that Trump said he would consider the army chief’s advice. When asked about the report, President Trump told The Hill that FM Munir “didn’t recommend anything on the blockade”.

“The blockade is very powerful, very strong. They lose $500 million a day with the blockade up,” he said, referring to Iran. “We control it.

They don’t control it.” Diplomacy continues Against this backdrop of distrust, Pakistan continued its diplomacy to pave the way for a peace framework that could end the weeks-long war. Pr