Two U.S. officials said that U.S. and Iranian negotiators made progress in talks on Tuesday and got closer to a framework agreement to end the war. With the help of Pakistani, Egyptian, and Turkish mediators, the two sides have been trying to close the gaps and reach an agreement before the ceasefire ends on April 21
officials said that U.S
Two U.S. officials said that U.S. and Iranian negotiators made progress in talks on Tuesday and got closer to a framework agreement to end the war. With the help of Pakistani, Egyptian, and Turkish mediators, the two sides have been trying to close the gaps and reach an agreement before the ceasefire ends on April 21.
On Wednesday, a Pakistani delegation led by Army commander Field Marshal Asim Munir arrived in Tehran to speak with Iranian officials. U.S. officials and people who know about the mediation said that a deal is not certain because the two sides have opposite points of view.
“Let’s wait and see if we can get a deal. We are hopeful and accordingly trying to push with both sides,” a Pakistani official said, per Axios.
An official from the United States said that President Trump’s negotiating team, which included Vice President Vance, White House envoy Steve Witkoff, and senior adviser Jared Kushner, kept calling and sending draft proposals to the Iranians and mediators on Tuesday.
“They were on the phone and backchanneling with all the countries, and they are getting closer,” the U.S. official said.
On Tuesday, a second U.S. official confirmed the progress.
“We want to make a deal. And parts of their government want to make a deal. Now the trick is to get the whole of government over there to make the deal,” a third U.S. official said.
U.S. officials and people familiar with the negotiations say that there will probably be a new round of direct talks in person in the next few days before the ceasefire ends.
However, no date has been set
However, no date has been set.
Vance, who led the initial talks in Pakistan last week, said at a Turning Point USA event in Georgia Tuesday: “I think the people we’re sitting across from wanted to make a deal. … I feel very good about where we are.”
If a framework agreement is reached, the ceasefire would need to be extended to negotiate the details of a comprehensive deal, a U.S. official and a source familiar with the mediation said.
U.S. officials say that Trump’s naval blockade, which has stopped Iran from exporting oil, and the country’s worsening economic situation are putting more pressure on Tehran to reach a deal.
“Iran has no money. They’re broke. We know it. And they know we know it,” one U.S. official said.
Iran exports about 1.5 million barrels of oil daily, earning roughly $140 million. A blockade zeroes this out overnight, U.S. officials say.
Kharg Island, which is 400 miles from the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf and handles about 90% of Iran’s oil, would be effectively shut down by the blockade.
“We don’t need to invade Kharg right now. We can just strangle it,” another administration official said.
If Iran can’t export oil and runs out of onshore storage, it will have to
If Iran can’t export oil and runs out of onshore storage, it will have to halt pumping — potentially taking wells offline and causing long-term economic damage, administration officials said.
“What does it say if Iran, a country the world knows for its oil, can’t produce oil? It’s going to be worse than Venezuela under Maduro,” one official said.
Even before the war, Trump’s campaign of maximum pressure sanctions on Iran was putting a lot of stress on the country’s economy. These sanctions caused high unemployment, gas shortages, and food prices to rise. The war made the situation worse.
Airstrikes by the US and Israel have shut down Iran’s two biggest steel plants and stopped its petrochemical industry.
Iran’s military and IRGC pay is sent through Sepah Bank, which is run by the government and is often hacked by Israelis.
Last month, an Israeli missile struck Iran’s digital security center.
Iran’s internet shutdown, now in its 47th day, is also costing the economy an additional $50 million daily.
