US-Iran Talks In Islamabad At 'Stalemate' Over Control Of Strait Of Hormuz: Report

Crucial negotiations between the United States and Iran in Pakistan have reportedly hit a “stalemate” as both sides disagreed over the control of the Strait of Hormuz, which has remained a core issue for negotiations to end the war in West Asia.

Two people briefed on the negotiations told the Financial Times that discussions over reopening the strait remained a sticking point. One source said Iran insisted it retained control over the waterway and could impose a toll on vessels transiting the waterway.

Iran has refused options for “joint control” of the strait, despite a high-level meeting between US Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, as per the report. Negotiators are having a work dinner, which

would be followed by technical discussions on Saturday night.

JD Vance, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner held discussions with Ghalibaf and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi for two hours before a break. Their discussions are widely expected to have focused on reopening the Strait and the ceasefire extending to Lebanon.

ALSO READ: ‘Iran’s Leadership Is Dead’: Trump Says US ‘Clearing’ Hormuz After Two Warships Cross Waterway

The Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway that supplies one-fifth of the world’s energy needs, has remained closed since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February, sending global oil prices soaring, killing thousands of people and causing unprecedented attacks on Gulf Arab states.

Tehran is demanding control of the Strait of Hormuz, payment of war reparations and a ceasefire across the region, including in Lebanon, according to Iranian state TV and officials. The US has sought free passage for global shipping through the strait and the crippling of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme to ensure it cannot produce an atomic bomb.

Meanwhile, Trump said the United States has started the “process of clearing out” the Strait of Hormuz after reports surfaced that two US warships crossed the vital waterway, which would mark the first such transit since the war began in February.

Trump asserted that Iran was “losing big” and their military capabilities, along with missile and drone facilities, were completely obliterated. He also said at least 28 Iranian mine-laying vessels have been destroyed. The US Central Command also confirmed that two Navy warships transited the Strait of Hormuz at the start of an operation to clear the strategic waterway of mines laid by Iran.