Iran-US war latest: Tehran rejects second round of peace talks after Trump issues new threat and Strait of Hormuz tensions escalate

Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif has said he has had a “warm and constructive conversation” with Iran’s president Dr Masoud Pezeshkian this evening.

Mr Sharif thanked Iran for their engagement in the peace talks “including its high-level delegation to Islamabad for the historic talks, and recent discussions with Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir in Tehran.”

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Sharif added: “I also shared insights from my recent engagements with leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Türkiye. I assured him that, with the support of friends and partners, Pakistan remains fully committed to its role as an honest and sincere facilitator of lasting peace and regional stability.”

A two-week ceasefire is set to expire Tuesday if a deal is not reached. The ceasefire came on the heels of Mr Trump’s threat to end Iranian “civilization” if a deal was not made. The US president’s repeated threats to Iran’s population and civil infrastructure has been seized upon by his critics as evidence that Mr Trump would support or even carry out war crimes.

US energy secretary Chris Wright has said that he believes gas prices have peaked but predicted that they may stay above $3 per gallon until next year.

Gas prices have risen during the US and Israeli war on Iran and Iranian attacks on nearby ⁠countries, creating political headwinds for President Donald Trump ahead of the November midterm elections, where his Republican Party will defend slim majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Gas below $3 a gallon “could happen later this year, that might not happen until next year. But prices have likely peaked, and they’ll ⁠start going down,” Wright told CNN’s “State of ​the Union” ⁠program. “Certainly with the resolution of this conflict, you’ll see prices go down.”

The U.S. and Iran on Thursday agreed to a 10-day ‌ceasefire, but Mr Trump on Sunday accused Iran of violating it with attacks ​on ships in the Strait of Hormuz this weekend.

When President Donald Trump learned that two American pilots had gone missing in Iran on Good Friday, he “screamed at aides for hours” and was then “kept out of the room” while his team was given minute-by-minute updates, according to a report.

An F-15 fighter jet was shot down over Iran on April 3, prompting a high-stakes rescue mission for the missing airmen. One crew member was swiftly rescued by U.S. forces after ejecting before the aircraft went down – but the second crew member spent more than 24 hours behind enemy lines before he was safely extracted.

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Iranian media is reporting that Iran has rejected taking part in the second round of talks with the US in Pakistan.

Iran’s official state news agency, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), has reported that “no clear prospect for productive talks is envisaged”.

The report says that “US excessive demands and unreasonable, unrealistic requests” have prevented progress.

In an update on social media, IRNA also said the “ongoing naval blockade” was “a breach of the ceasefire”.

Iran’s official IRNA news agency cited no specific source in its report that Iran had rejected the ⁠talks.

Islamabad is preparing to receive the US and Iranian delegations for talks on Monday. JD Vance, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are travelling to Pakistan for the mediation, although Iran has not yet confirmed whether it will take part.

Police personnel were seen standing guard at a closed road leading to the Serena Hotel in the Red Zone area of Islamabad on Sunday.

Kuwaiti authorities have detained US-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin who has not been seen for six weeks, a media watchdog said, during a wider crackdown by Gulf nations on people for filming or posting footage during the Iran war.

Shihab-Eldin, a 41-year-old journalist who was visiting family in Kuwait, has not posted online or been seen in public since March 2, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said on Monday.

CPJ said he had been charged with spreading false information, harming national security and misusing his mobile phone.

Kuwait enacted a law on March 15 including a provision carrying prison terms of up to 10 years for spreading false rumours related to military entities with the intent of undermining confidence in them.

Talks in Islamabad ended with no agreement last week but security measures were still being taken in the Pakistani capital this weekend for potential further meetings.

City authorities halted public transport and heavy goods traffic through the city and rolls of barbed wire were rolled out near the Serena Hotel where last week’s talks were held. The hotel told guests on Sunday to leave.

In central Islamabad, there was a heavy police and army presence but the security protocols did not appear to be at the same level as they were before the first round, when Vice President JD Vance led the U.S. delegation.

Earlier, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said a framework of understanding would have to be agreed for further talks.