A US official outlined Washington’s “red lines” in talks with Iran following a stalemate in negotiations in Islamabad, as US Central Command (CENTCOM) moves to enforce a maritime blockade of Iranian ports.
According to details posted by journalist Barak Ravid on X, the US demands include ending all uranium enrichment, dismantling all major nuclear enrichment facilities, and retrieving highly enriched uranium. The framework also requires Iran to accept a broader peace, security and deescalation arrangement involving regional allies, end funding for Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, and fully open the Strait of Hormuz without charging tolls for passage.
One unresolved issue in the talks was the amount of Iranian frozen funds to be released, according to a source with knowledge of the negotiations.
The talks ended without agreement after 21 hours of discussions in Islamabad, with US Vice President JD Vance confirming the outcome at a press conference.
“We’ve had a number of substantive discussions with the Iranians. That’s the good news. The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement—and I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news for the United States of America.”
“We have not reached an agreement. We have made our red lines clear, but they have refused to accept our terms,” Vance continued.
Following the breakdown in talks, CENTCOM announced it will implement a blockade targeting all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports, including those along the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. The enforcement will apply to vessels of all nations operating in Iranian coastal areas.
CENTCOM said the blockade will begin on April 13 at 10 a.m. ET. The command added that forces will not interfere with freedom of navigation for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.
Additional instructions will be issued to commercial mariners ahead of the operation, with vessels advised to consult Notice to Mariners broadcasts and contact US naval forces on bridge-to-bridge channel 16 while operating in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.
