The diplomatic push came as the United States maintained a naval blockade of Iranian ports and threatened new sanctions on countries doing business with Tehran, while a 15-year gap remained between the two sides on the central nuclear question — Washington pressing for a 20-year enrichment moratorium, Tehran offering five years.
CAIRO — Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Asim Munir, met Wednesday in Tehran with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as mediators pressed to arrange a second round of U.S.-Iran negotiations before a ceasefire set to expire Tuesday.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the United States remained “very much engaged in these negotiations” and that any further in-person talks “would very likely” return to Islamabad. She said the United States had not “formally requested an extension of the ceasefire” with Iran.
Regional officials told the Associated Press that Washington and Tehran had reached an “in principle agreement” to extend the truce to allow for more diplomacy. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.
Nuclear gap stalls talks
Three sticking points derailed direct negotiations last weekend — Iran’s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz, and compensation for wartime damages — according to a regional official involved in the mediation efforts.
The negotiating team led by Vice President JD Vance urged Iran to agree to a 20-year moratorium on uranium enrichment as part of a potential deal to end the war, according to a regional official and a person briefed on the matter. Iran countered with an offer to suspend enrichment for five years, those officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. The White House rejected that offer.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Iran was open to discussing the type and level of its uranium enrichment but that his country “based on its needs, must be able to continue enrichment,” Iranian state media reported.
Blockade, sanctions pressure mounts
U.S. Central Command said Wednesday that no ships had gotten past the naval blockade of Iranian ports since it was imposed two days earlier, while 10 merchant vessels complied with orders from U.S. forces to turn around and reenter Iranian waters.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the White House had warned countries and private companies they could face sanctions for doing business with Tehran, calling the move the “financial equivalent” of a bombing campaign.
Iran’s joint military commander, Ali Abdollahi, threatened to halt trade across the region if the United States does not lift the blockade. A newly appointed military adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei also said he does not support extending the ceasefire.
Iranian state media quoted Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as saying: “Unlike the Americans who are afraid of continuous war, we are fully prepared and familiar with a long war.”
Trump says Iran wants a deal
President Donald Trump said in an interview on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria” that he believed Iran was motivated to reach an agreement. “I think they want to make a deal very badly,” Trump said. In a separate social media post, Trump said China had agreed not to provide weapons to Iran as reports circulated that Beijing had considered transferring arms.
The war began Feb. 28 and has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,100 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel, more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states, and 13 U.S. service members, according to the Associated Press.
Israel presses Lebanon offensive
Israel continued its aerial and ground campaign in Lebanon on Wednesday. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported airstrikes and artillery shelling throughout southern Lebanon, including near Bint Jbeil, where Israeli forces had encircled Hezbollah fighters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops were about to “eliminate this great stronghold of Hezbollah” and would continue expanding control of areas in southern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Israel struck three teams of paramedics Wednesday, first hitting one team and then two more that rushed to help. The attacks killed three paramedics and wounded six others, the ministry said. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The fighting continued after Israeli and Lebanese officials concluded their first direct talks in decades. Netanyahu said negotiations were continuing, with disarming Hezbollah a key goal.