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Negotiations between the United States and Iran extended past midnight Saturday local time in the Pakistani capital, with a knowledgeable source telling Iran's state news agency IRNA that despite serious disagreements, the two sides are continuing to engage intensively.
Pakistani sources told CNN that the overall tone of the Islamabad talks has remained largely positive, but that a stalemate has emerged over the question of control of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply passes.
Tehran hardened its position on the waterway during the course of the talks. Iranian officials announced that the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until a final peace agreement is reached, and the chairman of Iran's National Security Commission stated plainly that the strait will remain open only with Iran's permission.
The Strait of Hormuz, which separates the Persian Gulf from the Arabian Sea, is the world's most critical chokepoint for energy supplies. Iran's partial blockade of the waterway, imposed after the outbreak of hostilities, has rattled global oil markets and drawn urgent calls from countries in Europe and Asia for its reopening.
Despite the impasse, neither side has walked away. According to the IRNA source, the negotiations, though marked by serious disagreements, are proceeding with intensity. Pakistani sources relayed to CNN that the broad direction of the discussions remains constructive, even as the Hormuz question represents the sharpest point of contention between the delegations.
Pakistan has played a central role in hosting and facilitating the discussions. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met separately with both delegations earlier in the day, with his office expressing hope that the talks would serve as "a stepping stone toward durable peace in the region." The negotiations, if they produce an agreement, would mark one of the most significant diplomatic breakthroughs between Washington and Tehran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
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