US delegation expected in Islamabad but uncertainty prevails over talks amid mixed signals from Iran

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.”

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.

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.

A US Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III aircraft prepares to land at the Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi on April 20, 2026. — AFP 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 said that it would remain operational on Tuesday as lawyers, litigants and officers would be able to access the court’s building through the Margalla Hills entry point, subject to proper identification.

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”.

Additional input from Nasir Iqbal