The American President announces new peace talks in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Iran is confusing people with contradictory decisions about the Strait of Hormuz.
April 20, 2026, 05:22April 20, 2026, 05:22
Renzo Ruf, Washington
Shortly before the ceasefire in Iran expires, there is renewed movement in the stalled peace negotiations. Talks about ending the war will resume in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Monday evening, American President Donald Trump announced on Sunday.
Donald Trump wants to negotiate with Iran again.Image: keystone
Vice President JD Vance will once again be at the head of the delegation from the USA, it was said in Washington. The two negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner also want to take a seat at the negotiating table, as they did two weeks ago.
In his announcement, which he published on the Internet service Truth Social, Trump claimed that the Americans had the upper hand before the new, direct negotiations with Iran. Either the regime would agree to a deal, he said, or the USA would resume its air strikes.
The president once again threatened to destroy power plants and road bridges in Iran, even though such attacks could violate the laws of war. “No more Mr. Nice Guy,” he wrote on Truth Social, which translates to “No more funny.”
The US stops an Iranian cargo ship
The reality, however, is a little more complicated than Trump portrays. The Strait of Hormuz remained blocked at the weekend, although the Iranian Foreign Minister announced on Friday that his country would now allow all ships to pass through again. On Saturday, troops belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard attacked an oil tanker flying the Indian flag. A second attack later followed in the strait, this time on an Indian container ship. Both ships then turned around.
JD Vance is supposed to lead the negotiations with Iran.Image: keystone
The Foreign Ministry in New Delhi responded with a diplomatic note to the incidents, in which no one was reportedly injured. Iran has expressly agreed that Indian merchant ships would be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the statement said.
Iran rejects direct talks with the USA
The Iranian news agency Tasnim also reported, citing an informed source, that as long as the US Navy continues its naval blockade off the Strait of Hormuz, there will be no negotiations. In the past few days, however, messages have been exchanged through neighboring Pakistan. (dpa)
The American president also sharply criticized Tehran and spoke of a “complete breach of the ceasefire.” The American blockade of Iranian ports will therefore continue. It was also said in Washington that the US Navy would pursue and stop blockade runners if necessary.
This reportedly happened for the first time late Sunday evening. The USS Spruance, a US Navy destroyer, boarded an Iranian cargo ship named Tuoska. Trump announced this via Truth Social.
The current developments in the ticker:
Nevertheless, Trump sold the current situation as a success in his online statement: Iran is harming itself, as the country is losing millions of dollars every day in the energy business as long as the Strait of Hormuz is not passable. The oil and gas business is the most important source of income for the regime.
But ultimately the USA cannot have any interest in the global raw materials trade being in an imbalance. And that traders react nervously to every statement from Washington and Tehran.
America itself sources almost no oil from the Persian Gulf. The rapid price fluctuations on the market also have an impact on domestic producers. For political reasons, the White House is interested in seeing the price of gasoline fall quickly.
With his announcement, Trump at least guarantees that there will be optimism in the financial and raw material markets on Monday morning. But the president is once again in danger of raising expectations that are too high. He claimed on Sunday that actual negotiations in Islamabad were no longer necessary. The deal that Vance will present is “fair and reasonable.”
Internal power struggle in the Iranian leadership
It can be assumed that Tehran will react negatively to such tones. Iran will demand concessions from Vance. However, the regime’s contradictory decisions in recent days point to another problem: the regime’s new figureheads – such as Foreign Minister Abbar Araghchi – have no control over the government apparatus.
On Friday, a representative of the Revolutionary Guard responded to the Foreign Minister’s statement that the Strait of Hormuz was no longer blocked with the statement:
“We will open it on the orders of our leader, Imam Khamenei — and not because of some idiot’s tweets.”
Iran’s new spiritual leader was seriously injured when the war began; So far he has only spoken out in writing.
Abbar Araghchi has no control over the Revolutionary Guards.Image: www.imago-images.de
Momahed Amersi, a representative of the American think tank Wilson Center, told the Wall Street Journal: The West assumes that there is a clear command structure in Iran. And that negotiations with the foreign minister or the speaker of parliament produced results. “However, when push comes to shove, those who have weapons, drones and speedboats usually prevail,” emphasized Amersi. (aargauerzeitung.ch)