Key developments

• Trump has confirmed an American delegation will be arriving in Pakistan for talks. While he said on Monday evening that JD Vance and an American delegation were en route to Islamabad, US news outlets reported that the US vice president had yet to depart
• Iran says it has yet to decide whether it will attend next round of talks with US; parliament speaker highlights lack of trust in Washington
• Tight security in Islamabad for arrival of foreign delegations; Red Zone sealed and public transport in twin cities suspended

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Uncertainty prevailed on Monday over whether the United States and Iran would hold a second round of direct talks, as mixed signals emerged from Tehran amid intensifying tensions with Washington, even as Islamabad prepared to host the two sides.

Meanwhile, US Donald Trump confirmed that a US team would be in Islamabad for the expected talks. However, it was not clear when the team would depart and arrive in Pakistan.

Initially, Trump told The New York Post on Monday evening that US Vice President JD Vance and an American delegation were en route to Pakistan and expected to land within hours for the peace talks with Iran.

He added that he was willing to meet with senior Iranian leaders if a breakthrough is reached.

“We’re supposed to have the talks,” Trump has said in a brief interview, brushing aside doubts about whether negotiations would fall apart. “So I would assume at this point nobody’s playing games.”

“They’re heading over now,” Trump said shortly after 9am ET (6pm PKT). “They’ll be there tonight, [Islamabad] time.”

However, a source familiar with the matter later told Reuters that Vance was still in the US and had not yet departed for Pakistan.

American news outlets ABC News and CNN reported, citing sources, that Vance was expected to leave for Pakistan on Tuesday.

Iran undecided on participation

Earlier in the day, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran had yet to decide on whether to attend the next round of talks with the US.

His statement came after Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said earlier in the day that Tehran was continuing negotiations with the US but remains ready to take “necessary measures” amid fears of renewed escalation.

The statements coming from Iran are reminiscent of Tehran’s stance ahead of the first round of Islamabad Talks, when Iran demanded that its “preconditions” be met in order for the dialogue to proceed.

Iran’s leaders were reiterating that stance even hours before the Iranian delegation landed in Pakistan, as a last-minute hurdle over Israeli strikes in Lebanon was eased.

The possibility of talks was cast in doubt after Trump said the US Navy had targeted an Iranian ship attempting to evade its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, although both sides offered differing accounts of the incident.

Iran again closed the strait on Saturday, saying it would not reopen the maritime trade route until the US ended its blockade of Iranian ports.

Addressing a weekly press briefing in Tehran on Monday, Baqaei said, “As of now, while I am at your service, we have no plans for the next round of negotiation, and no decision has been made in this regard”.

The foreign ministry spokesman elaborated that the US was not serious about pursuing diplomacy, citing “violations” of their two-week ceasefire.

“While claiming diplomacy and readiness for negotiations, the US is carrying out behaviours that do not in any way indicate seriousness in pursuing a diplomatic process,” he said.

He highlighted that the US attack on the Iranian cargo ship early on Monday, the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, and delays in implementing a ceasefire in Lebanon were all “clear violations of the ceasefire”.

“Regarding the issue of transferring enriched uranium, neither during this period of negotiations nor before has transferring it to the United States been discussed,” Baqaei said.

“It was never raised as an option for us,” he added.

Separately, Ghalibaf, who led the Iranian delegation at the Islamabad Talks held on April 11 and 12, reiterated Tehran’s lack of trust in Washington.

“We do not trust the enemy. At any moment, it may escalate the war,” Ghalibaf said in televised remarks, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency.

“We are negotiating, but we are prepared for the necessary measures,” said Ghalibaf.

He asserted that the ongoing conflict with the US and Israel began “through American deception in the middle of negotiations” and added that Iran had learned from the 12-day war in June 2025 and remained prepared for any future confrontation.

Preparations in overdrive in Islamabad

Meanwhile, Islamabad witnessed a flurry of activity. Extra­ordinary security measures were in place in the federal capital and the garrison city on Monday, with reports that advance teams from the US for security arrangements arrived in Islamabad on Sunday.

Subsequently, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with US Charge d’Affaires Natalie Baker today to discuss security arrangements.

More than 10,000 security personnel, including commandos and snipers, have been deployed across Islamabad and Rawalpindi, besides separate arrangements at the Islamabad International Airport.

Authorities sealed the high-security Red Zone in the capital and other key routes, besides suspending public transport in the twin cities. Two luxury hotels were also vacated for the expected guests.

A notification by the Islamabad district magistrate said that public entry to the Red Zone would be suspended on April 21, in continuation of an earlier order issued on April 19.

“In view of the above, it is requested that all offices and schools (public/private) situated in [the] Red Zone may adopt a work-from-home arrangement on the said date in order to avoid any inconvenience,” the notification read.

Meanwhile, the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) said no judicial work would be conducted at its principal seat in Islamabad on Tuesday.

“This decision has been taken in light of the closure of the Red Zone in Islamabad, which is expected to create significant difficulties for lawyers, litigants, and court officials in accessing court premises,” a press release by the FCC said.

It added that despite the suspension of judicial proceedings, all officers and staff had been instructed to continue their duties remotely and were advised not to leave their stations.

‘Security of the Strait of Hormuz is not free’

Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref also warned earlier in the day that security in the Strait of Hormuz cannot be guaranteed if Tehran’s oil exports remain restricted, referring to the US’s naval blockade of Iranian ports.

“No one can restrict Iran’s oil exports while expecting free security for others,” Aref said on X.

“The security of the Strait of Hormuz is not free,” he added.

Aref said the world faces a choice between “a free oil market for all” or “significant costs for everyone”.

He stressed that stability in global fuel prices depended on “a guaranteed and lasting end to the economic and military pressure against Iran and its allies”.

Later, Trump said in a Truth Social post that the blockade of Iranian ports would not end until there was a deal between the two sides.

“The blockade, which we will not take off until there is a ‘deal’, is absolutely destroying Iran,” he claimed. “They are losing $500 million dollars a day, an unsustainable number, even in the short run.”

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Additional input from Nasir Iqbal