Trump, Iran peace talks, Pakistan returned to focus after President Donald Trump said the war was “close to over”, and reports emerged that the White House is considering a second round of negotiations with Iranian officials in Pakistan. The remarks came as a temporary ceasefire remained in place and senior US officials continued indirect engagement with Tehran.
Trump’s comments appeared in preview material for an interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo. In it, he sounded confident yet cautious, saying he believed the conflict was very close to ending.
The report says Vice President JD Vance may return to Islamabad for another round of talks after earlier negotiations ended without a deal. Those discussions reportedly stalled after Iran pushed to retain uranium enrichment rights for 20 years.
Even so, Vance remained engaged with Iranian officials and intermediaries alongside Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. A US official said both sides were discussing further talks, although they had not scheduled a meeting at the time.
Trump had been weighing several options to pressure Iran back into negotiations. These reportedly ranged from avoiding direct strikes while keeping US forces in the region to limited attacks on nuclear, missile, and energy targets, as well as a broader strategy aimed at regime change.
However, the report also says Trump appeared reluctant to restart a wider bombing campaign because of the risk of deeper regional escalation. That concern has grown alongside warnings that renewed conflict could intensify instability across the Middle East.
Read: US-Iran Talks in Pakistan Could Resume Within Days, as Trump and Reuters
The conflict is rising economic strain, as US gas prices have risen above $4 nationwide and global oil prices have exceeded $100 a barrel since the war began. It also says US wholesale prices rose last month, with the Labour Department’s producer price index increasing 0.5 per cent from February and four per cent from March 2025.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia is said to have warned that Iran could threaten other strategic shipping lanes if pressure increases. Iranian officials warned that the Bab al-Mandeb Strait could become part of the confrontation, raising fears of energy and trade disruptions.
