Fragile ceasefire in effect but maximalist US demands cast shadow over talks in Islamabad

By Press TV Website Staff

As the developments on April 11 unfolded under a fragile ceasefire, Iran-US negotiations were held in Islamabad following a partial scaling back of Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Washington agreeing to release Iran's frozen assets.

Tehran entered talks with a high-level delegation and a firm set of non-negotiable conditions, while warning the other side that both diplomacy and deterrence remain active, with “fingers on the trigger.”

With conflicting signals from Washington over key commitments, rising tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, and regional uncertainty still looming, the talks were seen as a decisive test of whether the ceasefire can hold or collapse under pressure.

After 21 marathon hours, the talks failed to produce a breakthrough due to excessive American demands, even though they were negotiating from a position of weakness. 

Key developments on day 43 of the war, third day of the ceasefire:

• With Israeli attacks scaled back from Beirut to southern Lebanon and the US agreeing in principle to unfreeze Iranian assets, trilateral Iran-US negotiations were held in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
• President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran entered the talks with the United States in Islamabad with "determination and seriousness," stressing that the success of the process depends on Washington's approach.
• The Iranian delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir before formal negotiations began.
• Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, said the Islamic Republic is fully prepared for all scenarios amid diplomacy. 
• Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ismail Baghaei said Iran has conveyed its positions with complete clarity and is engaged in intense diplomatic combat.
• He stressed that ceasefire violations are monitored closely: “Our forces have their fingers on the trigger, and so does our diplomacy.
• In a post on X, Baqaei said that some elements in US policy and media space are recommending assassinating Iranian officials if negotiations fail.
• Analysts noted the Iranian team was larger and higher-ranking than any delegation sent during the JCPOA era.
• Trump repeated that Iran “must not acquire nuclear weapons” and claimed "regime-change" in Iran had already “been achieved,” while linking nuclear constraints and the Strait of Hormuz to his definition of a “99% complete deal.”
• Axios reported that the US urged Israel to temporarily halt its strikes on Lebanon before direct talks resume. Netanyahu is still considering the request.
• Analysts say Iran insisted on a “real, operational ceasefire” in Lebanon, not symbolic pauses.
• Unfreezing Iran’s assets and securing a Lebanon ceasefire were Iran’s conditions for talks; reports suggest the US had agreed through Pakistan, but some commitments remain unmet.
• Pakistani PM called the talks “decisive” and a “life-or-death stage,” warning that their outcome will determine the future of the ceasefire and regional stability.
• Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington said both Tehran and Washington are “committed to the process,” despite the difficult road to the talks.
• Iran’s Tasnim News Agency said CNN’s claim of multi-day talks is inaccurate: the session will be one day, with Iran still assessing US commitments.
• The New York Times cited senior Iranian officials saying the delegation has full decision-making power without needing Tehran’s real-time approval.
• Al Jazeera reported that US Vice President JD Vance’s presence signals Washington wants a deal finalised by someone seen as a “finisher,” especially after previous back-channel envoys failed.
• Pakistani sources denied rumours that China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, or Qatar were invited.
• Iran conveyed its four non-negotiable conditions to the US via Pakistan: recognition of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, full war reparations from aggressors, unconditional release of frozen assets and a real, durable ceasefire across all Resistance fronts.
• Trump claimed “massive empty supertankers” are heading to the US to load “the best oil and gas in the world.”
• An Iranian source told the media that the US agreed to unfreeze assets and brought financial experts for technical talks. CBS, quoting US officials, denied any such agreement.
• In a statement, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said it is maintaining strategic and firm control over the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that reports of US warships transiting the strait are false.
• As per media reports, a US destroyer attempted to approach the Strait of Hormuz before receiving a military-diplomatic warning from Iranian forces.
• CNN reported multiple ships, mostly Chinese, are heading toward the Strait of Hormuz as negotiations were underway.
• According to Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth, there is growing pessimism in the occupied territories that the outcome of the war on Iran could stall the process of "normalisation" agreements with the Persian Gulf states.
• Beirut witnessed mass protests as demonstrators rallied against the Lebanese government, demanding its removal, following reports of potential direct talks with the Israeli entity. Protesters reaffirmed their support for the resistance.
• CBS News reported that the US Air Force lost 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones during confrontations with Iranian forces, adding that an MQ-4C Triton reconnaissance aircraft was reported lost, valued at approximately $250 million, which is believed to have been destroyed by Iran.
• According to the Wall Street Journal, quoting US intelligence sources, Iran still retains thousands of ballistic missiles in its arsenal, which it could potentially employ by drawing launchers from underground storage sites.
• The talks between Tehran and Washington, mediated by Pakistan, which began on Saturday, ended early on Sunday without any breakthrough due to excessive US demands, Press TV can confirm. 

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