US Awaits Iran Decision on Talks as Ceasefire Deadline Nears

WATCH: The US and Iran are making slow progress toward a second round of talks. Joumana Bercetche reports.Source: Bloomberg

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By Jeff Mason, Ben Bartenstein, and Fiona MacDonald

April 21, 2026 at 6:07 AM UTC

Updated on

April 21, 2026 at 4:30 PM UTC

The US is still awaiting a green light from Iran for peace talks to take place before a ceasefire expires on Wednesday, with the sides deadlocked on issues including access to the Strait of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump said Tehran had “no choice” but to send a delegation to negotiations in Pakistan, with his vice president, JD Vance, primed to fly to Islamabad on Tuesday. The US is in a strong negotiating position, he told CNBC, and is “ready to go” with a resumption of bombing if a breakthrough isn’t reached.