'Ultimate decisions rest with...': Pakistan says next round of Iran-US talks coming soon

Twenty-one hours of talks. The first direct high-level engagement between the US and Iran since 1979. And still, no deal. Yet as the dust settled on the Islamabad negotiations, Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stepped out to say the next round is already expected soon.

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament House on Monday, Asif said the diplomatic engagement had so far produced "only positive progress" and noted there had been no negative developments since the talks concluded. The next round of Iran-US negotiations was expected soon, he added.

The Islamabad talks, held over the weekend, were historic in scale, the first direct high-level engagement between US and Iranian officials since 1979. They lasted 21 hours but fell short of a lasting peace agreement. Both sides, however, signalled that diplomatic channels remain open.

Pakistan played the role of mediator, bringing Washington and Tehran to the table amid efforts to de-escalate tensions that have shaken global energy markets since US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. When asked whether Pakistan could play a decisive role in shaping the region's future, Asif said: "ultimate decisions rest with Allah."

Where the two sides stand

The US and Iran walked away from Islamabad with sharply different accounts of what happened. Vice President JD Vance, who led Washington's delegation, said Iran did not accept what he described as America's "final and best offer" to end the war. In a separate Fox News interview on Monday, however, Vance struck a more measured tone, saying the US had made significant progress and that the next move now rests with Tehran.

Vance also said Washington expects Iran to take steps toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz, warning that the direction of negotiations could change if Tehran fails to act.

Hours after the talks stalled, President Donald Trump said on social media that the negotiations failed because Iran was "unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions."

Hormuz on the edge

With diplomacy on pause, the military dimension has sharply escalated. Hours after the Islamabad talks collapsed, the US moved to enforce a full blockade on vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports. On Monday, American forces deployed more than 15 warships at strategic positions in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most critical oil chokepoint, activating a contingency plan long held in military playbooks and launching what observers are calling a complex and high-risk operation.

The next diplomatic move, and what follows at Hormuz, now hinges almost entirely on Tehran.