Iran’s foreign minister is expected to arrive in Pakistan, currently the main mediator between Tehran and Washington, although it is not yet clear whether he will meet with American officials.
Abbas Araghchi is expected to land in Islamabad this Friday (24), and a second round of peace negotiations between the US and Iran is taken for granted by Pakistani authorities interviewed by the report. They, however, did not detail when the conversations should take place or at what level.
According to the Iranian press, Araghchi is in a “regional tour” that also includes Oman and Russia. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the possibility of a new round of peace talks, and so far there are no signs that Vice President JD Vance, the US chief negotiator, is about to travel to Pakistan.
The announcement comes amid increased pressure from Washington on Tehran, with a naval blockade to try to bring the Iranian regime to the negotiating table, while Israel and Lebanon are expected to extend the existing ceasefire for another three weeks.
President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy to fire on any vessel laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, after the US military intercepted two supertankers that attempted to evade restrictions on traffic to and from Iranian ports.
Trump’s move, which accuses Iran of installing naval mines in the strait, is part of the White House’s strategy to cut the country’s oil exports, suffocating its economy and trying to force concessions that would help end the war.
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Trump Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that a second aircraft carrier is expected to join the blockade in the coming days.
“I have all the time in the world, but not Iran — the clock is ticking!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
The president’s allies say the blockade should force Iran to begin reducing oil production — its main source of foreign exchange — in about two weeks. JPMorgan analysts, however, estimate that the US could take closer to a month to reach that goal.
The US naval operation has already led many Iran-linked ships to turn around rather than cross the Strait of Hormuz. Still, some continue to make the crossing, according to vessel tracking companies, which could give Tehran some leeway to endure the restrictions for longer.
A US-sanctioned supertanker loaded with Iranian oil apparently stopped passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.
Traffic on the maritime route — through which around a fifth of the oil and liquefied natural gas consumed in the world normally passes — remains practically paralyzed.
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This situation fuels fears of new increases in fuel prices and a consequent slowdown in the global economy.
Oil rose for the fifth day in a row this Friday, with Brent at around US$106 a barrel. The global benchmark advanced 17% in the week, accumulating an increase of 46% since the start of the war. US and Israeli attacks on Iran sparked the conflict at the end of February.
The White House has given an additional 90 days to a shipping waiver that facilitates the movement of oil, fuel and fertilizer in the United States, in the latest attempt to contain supply shocks caused by the war.
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The average price of gasoline at American stations already exceeds US$4 per gallon, the highest level since 2022, which helps to reinforce the unpopularity of the conflict among the majority of voters.
According to Bloombergsome Trump advisers assess that the president’s harsh and provocative rhetoric on social media, combined with the maintenance of the blockade, is hindering the chances of a peace agreement with Iran. Iranian negotiators say that Trump’s posts are aimed at humiliating the leadership in Tehran and reducing the regime’s willingness to reach an understanding, according to officials involved in diplomatic efforts.
Iranian authorities announced, last Friday, the reopening of the strait to all commercial traffic. The decision, however, was quickly reversed when it became clear that the US would not lift the blockade in parallel.
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The impasse maintains the risk of renewed fighting. The war, in which Iran attacked Israel and Gulf Arab countries with thousands of drones and missiles, has left more than 5,000 people dead.
“The US naval blockade of Iran appears less airtight than Washington claims,” analysts at Bloomberg Economics Becca Wasser, Chris Kennedy and Dina Esfandiary, in a note. “This tends to reduce its impact as a tool of economic pressure and undermine its central objective: to force Tehran to relinquish control of the Strait of Hormuz and return to the negotiating table.”
Trump stated, late on Thursday (23), that Israel and Lebanon will extend the ceasefire that would end on Sunday (26), removing one of the obstacles to ending the war with Iran.
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The president announced the agreement in a post on social media after meeting with Israeli and Lebanese envoys at the White House. He also said that he intends to receive Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun soon. Neither leader confirmed it, and the meeting would be politically sensitive, as the two countries do not maintain diplomatic relations.
Israel wages war against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militant group in Lebanon. Trump wants to avoid the resumption of attacks in the Arab country because Tehran conditions a broader peace agreement with the United States on maintaining the truce.
Israel invaded southern Lebanon and launched bombings on the capital, Beirut, and other regions after Hezbollah, in solidarity with Iran, began firing rockets into Israeli territory in early March. More than 2,000 Lebanese died in the war and more than 1 million were displaced, according to the local government.
Israel argues that the attacks and occupation of areas in southern Lebanon are necessary to protect its communities in the north. The ceasefire in the region has been in force since April 16 and, in general, has been respected, although both sides accuse each other of specific violations.
The truce does not provide for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon.
This Friday, Netanyahu said, in a separate statement, that he recently underwent successful treatment for cancer and that he is “in excellent physical condition”.
© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.
