President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
Following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire,initial U.S.-Iran talksin Pakistan earlier this month failed to reach a peace deal. The original ceasefire is set to expire on April 22.
Trump said on Sunday that U.S. negotiators would return to Islamabad for a second round of talks. Vice President JD Vance is expected to leave for Pakistan on Tuesday, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the plans.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday that Tehran has "no plans" to participate. Lead Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Monday that Iranian leaders "do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats."
Latest Developments
Apr 21, 7:36 AMTrump says Iran violated ceasefire 'multiple times'
President Donald Trump alleged that Iran had "Violated the Cease Fire numerous times!" in a social media post on Tuesday morning.The president did not elaborate on what incidents his post referred to.The two-week ceasefire announced by Trump on April 8 is due to expire on Wednesday.
-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart
Apr 21, 6:34 AMIran executes 3 more protesters, internet blackout continues
Three more protesters who were arrested during January's anti-government demonstrations have been executed this week, according to the Iranian judiciary.The judiciary said that protesters Hamed Walidi and Mohammad Masoom Shahi were "traitorous spies" and were hanged "for collaborating" with Israel, "acting against national security and betraying the Iranian people."
Another protester, Amir Ali Mirjafari, was hanged on Tuesday, according to the judiciary. He was accused of "collaborating with the enemy" for attempting to burn a mosque in Tehran, the judiciary said as reported by the semi-official ISNA News Agency.The nationwide internet shutdown, meanwhile, stretched into its 53rd day on Tuesday, according to the internet monitoring website NetBlocks. Although some users briefly regained access to Google, it was cut off again Tuesday morning, according to the Tasnim News Agency.
Iran escalates crackdown on dissent as arrests, executions and threats surge, observers say
Iranians who spoke with ABC News said the outage has been one of the most "painful" aspects of life since the war began.-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian
Apr 21, 6:16 AMIran ready to 'respond decisively' to enemies, military says
Gen. Ali Abdollahi, the commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters -- the country's top joint military command -- said on Tuesday that Tehran is prepared to "respond decisively to the enemy's breach of promises," as quoted by the official Islamic Republic News Agency."The enemy is desperately seeking a ceasefire" due to the "crushing and destructive blows" of the Iranian missile and drone attacks, Abdullahi said.
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-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian
Apr 21, 5:56 AMNo Iranian delegation has departed for Islamabad, state media says
Iranian state television reported on Tuesday morning that no delegation had departed for Islamabad.Iranian officials, the broadcaster said on Telegram, maintain that they "do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats or broken promises" and that any continued participation in talks depends on a change in "the behavior and positions of the Americans."-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian
Apr 21, 3:06 AMIran won't negotiate 'under threat of force,' ambassador says
Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam said in a post to X on Tuesday that Iran "will Not negotiate under Threat and Force," as U.S. and Iranian representatives prepared to meet for a new round of expected peace talks in Islamabad.
Apr 20, 10:08 PMLeavitt says US-Iran are on 'brink' of a deal, insists Trump 'does not bluff'
Speaking to Fox News Monday evening, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the U.S. and Iran are on the “brink” of securing a deal, though she did not provide any insight into the state of potential peace talks.“The United States of America tonight have never been so close to making a truly good deal,” she said.This comes despite Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf issuing a new statement Monday: “We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the past two weeks, we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield.”Leavitt also praised President Donald Trump’s “hard-line negotiating style,” something she has previously credited for bringing Iran to the table.“Thanks to the success of the military operation and his hard-line negotiating style, we are on the brink of a deal. If not, the president as commander in chief still has a number of options at his disposal he is not afraid to use, President Trump has proven before he does not bluff,” Leavitt said.-ABC News' Emily Chang
Apr 20, 3:06 PMTrump says blockade in Strait will remain until deal's reached
President Donald Trump wrote on social media that the U.S. naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz will not be lifted until the U.S. and Iran reach a deal.“(This has been, in addition to everything else, Regime Change!), and perhaps, most important of all, THE BLOCKADE, which we will not take off until there is a “DEAL,” is absolutely destroying Iran,” Trump wrote.In a separate post, the president claimed that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has “forced” other countries to come to the U.S. for oil.“The Iranian leadership has forced hundreds of Ships toward the United States, mostly Texas, Louisiana, and Alaska, to get their Oil -- Thank you very much!” he wrote.-ABC News’ Emily Chang
Apr 20, 3:05 PM415 US troops wounded in war with Iran
At least 415 U.S. troops have been wounded in the war with Iran, according to Defense Department data.Last week, the total stood at 399. The rise during the ceasefire is tied to delayed reporting of injuries, especially traumatic brain injuries, in which symptoms can emerge or be recognized days later.-ABC News’ Steven Beynon
Apr 20, 2:43 PMTrump on securing deal with Iran: 'Time is not my adversary'As the Iran conflict drags on, President Donald Trump insists that he is not facing any time constraints to secure a deal, pushing back on reports that say he is under "pressure.""I am under no pressure whatsoever, although, it will all happen, relatively quickly! Time is not my adversary," Trump wrote on social media.
The president insisted that he is ahead of schedule militarily.“They like to say that I promised 6 weeks to defeat Iran, and actually, from the Military standpoint, it was far faster than that, but I’m not going to let them rush the United States into making a Deal that is not as good as it could have been," Trump wrote.-ABC News’ Emily Chang
Apr 20, 1:05 PMVance expected to travel to Pakistan on TuesdayVice President JD Vance is expected to leave for Pakistan on Tuesday for the next round of peace talks with Iran, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the plans. The sources cautioned that the situation is fluid and plans could change.
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott
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