Why is Pakistan mediating the US-Iran nuclear talks?

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir requested the ceasefire extension on 21 April 2026, and Islamabad agreed to host both rounds of talks. Pakistan's military establishment has longstanding ties to Washington and a border relationship with Iran, giving it credibility with both parties that European and Gulf mediators lacked.

Who is Iran's new Supreme Leader?

Mojtaba Khamenei, son of killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was named as his successor after the 28 February 2026 U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. As of 26 April 2026, Mojtaba had not made a public appearance. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been the primary public face of Iran in the nuclear negotiations.

What is the Strait of Hormuz blockade and why does it matter?

The United States imposed a naval blockade on ships linked to Iranian interests in the Strait of Hormuz beginning 13 April 2026. The strait carries approximately 20% of global oil trade. Iran's FM Araghchi called the blockade an "act of war." The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies estimated on 22 April that Iran is losing approximately $400 million per day in oil revenue as a result.

How would a deal affect oil prices?

Goldman Sachs estimated on 18 April 2026 that a diplomatic resolution including reopening the Strait of Hormuz would push Brent crude from above $105 toward $75–$80 per barrel. A breakdown in talks would likely send Brent above $120. Brent has traded above $100 since the blockade took effect on 14 April 2026.

Iran Round 2 Talks Open as Witkoff Arrives

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Islamabad on 26 April as Iran's FM Abbas Araghchi flew in for a second round of nuclear talks that both sides entered without agreeing on what the first round achieved.

The most consequential nuclear negotiation since the 2015 JCPOA opened in Islamabad on 26 April 2026 without a confirmed date for the next round, without an agreed definition of denuclearization, and with both lead negotiators disputing in public what the other had agreed to the previous week.

President Donald Trump extended the U.S.-Iran ceasefire indefinitely on 21 April, reversing a position he had stated hours earlier, after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chairman of Pakistan's Joint Chiefs of Staff, requested additional time for diplomacy. The first round of talks in Islamabad, held 11 April, ended without a breakthrough. Steve Witkoff, Trump's senior envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, arrived in Pakistan on 26 April for the second round. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi flew in separately from Tehran, stopping first in Beijing, where he met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 24 April.

Iran nuclear talks 2026 · Islamabad negotiations · Steve Witkoff

The backdrop is a war that began on 28 February 2026, when U.S. and Israeli forces launched coordinated strikes on Iran in what the Pentagon called Operation Epic Fury. The strikes killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei along with the commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Quds Force. Mojtaba Khamenei, the supreme leader's son, was subsequently named as his replacement but had made no public appearance as of 26 April. A U.S. naval blockade of all ships linked to Iranian interests has been in place across the Strait of Hormuz since 13 April, cutting Iran's primary oil export route and costing the country an estimated $400 million per day in lost revenue, according to a 22 April 2026 estimate by the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.

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Key Takeaways

Iran nuclear talks 2026: The Trump administration is seeking complete dismantlement of Iran's uranium enrichment program, removal of enriched uranium stockpiles from Iranian territory, limits on ballistic missiles, reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and an end to Iranian support for Hezbollah and Hamas.

Islamabad negotiations: The Trump administration is seeking complete dismantlement of Iran's uranium enrichment program, removal of enriched uranium stockpiles from Iranian territory, limits on ballistic missiles, reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and an end to Iranian support for Hezbollah and Hamas.

Steve Witkoff: The Trump administration is seeking complete dismantlement of Iran's uranium enrichment program, removal of enriched uranium stockpiles from Iranian territory, limits on ballistic missiles, reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and an end to Iranian support for Hezbollah and Hamas.

Abbas Araghchi: The Trump administration is seeking complete dismantlement of Iran's uranium enrichment program, removal of enriched uranium stockpiles from Iranian territory, limits on ballistic missiles, reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and an end to Iranian support for Hezbollah and Hamas.

Iran Round 2 Talks Open as Witkoff Arrives

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