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United States President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Pakistan-mediated talks with Iran could take place within 36 to 72 hours, according to a report by The New York Post.
The report, citing a text message exchange with Trump, said sources in Islamabad pointed to positive mediation efforts with Tehran, raising the possibility of renewed negotiations.
“It’s possible! President DJT,” Trump said in a message to the outlet.
Pakistan’s capital remains under a strict security lockdown as authorities pursue back-channel diplomacy to bring Washington and Tehran back to the negotiating table, security sources said.
Roads leading to Islamabad’s Red Zone, which houses key government buildings and the hotel where the first round of talks was held, remain closed to general traffic.
All educational institutions and hostels in Islamabad and the nearby garrison city of Rawalpindi have been shut since last week, while public transportation, including metro bus services, remains suspended.
Authorities on Wednesday reopened two bus terminals in Rawalpindi, allowing limited intercity travel.
A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Anadolu that law enforcement agencies have been instructed to maintain heightened security “until further notice.”
A second round of talks had been expected this week in Pakistan, but Tehran said it would not attend unless the United States lifts what it describes as an “illegal” blockade of Iranian ports.
Washington has said it would send a delegation led by Vice President JD Vance.
On Tuesday, Trump extended a two-week ceasefire with Iran to allow time for Tehran to prepare a “unified proposal,” following a request from Pakistani officials.
The United States has demanded the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which has remained largely restricted since U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran began Feb. 28.
Tehran briefly declared the waterway open Friday before closing it again a day later after Trump said the blockade would remain in place. On Sunday, U.S. forces detained an Iranian cargo vessel after opening fire and boarding it.
Pakistan brokered the initial two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran on April 8 and hosted high-level talks in Islamabad on April 11–12, the first since the two countries severed diplomatic ties in 1979.
Those negotiations ended without agreement.
The ceasefire had been due to expire Wednesday, but Trump extended it without specifying a new timeline.
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