U.S., Iran ceasefire nears expiry as Hormuz tensions cloud talks

The fragile two-week U.S.-Iran ceasefire is set to expire Wednesday evening, clouding prospects for fresh negotiations and the future of the Strait of Hormuz, after U.S. President Donald Trump depicted extension of the truce as "highly unlikely."



Asked if he expects strikes to resume immediately afterward if no deal is reached, Trump said, "If there's no deal, I would certainly expect."



The remarks came as Washington reportedly sought to keep diplomatic channels open. U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who led the first round of face-to-face talks, is expected to depart for Islamabad by Tuesday for talks, Axios reported, citing U.S. sources.



Signaling conditional openness to engagement, Trump told The Washington Post that he will be willing to meet senior Iranian leaders if a breakthrough is reached, and said in a separate interview with Bloomberg that his personal attendance at talks may not be necessary.



However, signals from Tehran remained mixed. Axios reported that the Iranian team received a green light from the supreme leader on Monday night to engage in talks with the United States, but officials stopped short of confirming participation.



Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said earlier Monday that Iran currently has no plan for the second round of talks and that U.S. actions are in no way indicative of its seriousness in pursuing a diplomatic process.