As the U.S.-Iran ceasefire deadline looms, here are the main sticking points

(NPR) Vice President Vance is expected to travel to Islamabad soon to lead a U.S. delegation for a second round of peace talks with Iran ahead of the expiration of a two-week ceasefire on Wednesday.

But the prospects for renewed diplomacy remain unclear. Iranian state media said Tuesday that no Iranian delegations have traveled to Islamabad "so far," while President Trump told Bloomberg News on Monday that a renewal of the ceasefire was "highly unlikely."

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran's chief negotiator and parliament speaker, accused the United States late Monday of forcing Iran to the negotiating table and said that on the contrary, Iran has been preparing "to reveal new cards on the battlefield."

"We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats," Qalibaf wrote in a post on social media.

https://www.npr.org/2026/04/21/nx-s1-5793638/iran-middle-east-updates