War in the Middle East: The White House announces discussing a new meeting with Iran

Pakistan continues to play the mediator despite the failure of the first meeting in Islamabad.

Published on: April 16, 2026 00:02

Reading time: 2 minutes

Caption: Donald Trump speaks to the press at the White House in Washington on April 14, 2026. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP)

A new chance for talks between the United States and Iran. The White House announced on Wednesday, April 15, discussing holding a second round of negotiations between the two countries, expressing “optimism” about the chances of an agreement, after Tehran’s threat to block traffic in the Red Sea in response to the American naval blockade of its ports. Iran, for its part, reiterated its willingness to continue negotiating as the world hopes for an extension of the ceasefire in effect since April 8 and a resolution to a war that is shaking the global economy.

Discussions are underway for a resumption of talks in Islamabad, “but nothing is official yet,” said Karoline Leavitt, the spokesperson for the American executive. “But we are optimistic about the prospect of an agreement,” she added, as the Pakistani mediator continues his efforts following the failure of an initial round of talks in Islamabad on Sunday. The influential chief of the Pakistani army, Asim Munir, was welcomed on Wednesday by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esma’il Baghaei, stated that “several messages have been exchanged via Pakistan” in the past three days.

However, he stood firm on a major Iranian demand. The right to civilian nuclear power cannot be “withdrawn under pressure or through war,” he declared, only opening the door to discussions on “the level and type of uranium enrichment.” The goals of Israel and the United States “are identical” regarding Iran, assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing in particular “the abandonment of enrichment capacity within Iran.” Donald Trump, on the other hand, had stated the day before—repeatedly—that the war was “almost over.” A senior American official denied, however, on Wednesday that Iran had already agreed to extend the ceasefire.