Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, met Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran on Wednesday to prepare a second round of U.S.-Iran negotiations before an April 22 ceasefire deadline, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday that U.S. forces remained ready to resume strikes if Tehran refuses a deal. Wednesday's shuttle follows the prior day's blockade update from U.S. Central Command, and pulls the focus from the Strait of Hormuz back to the negotiating table.

At stake in the next week is whether the two-week truce that halted nearly seven weeks of war will hold past Tuesday. Mediators are still trying to close gaps on three issues that broke up direct talks in Islamabad on Saturday: Iran's nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for wartime damages, according to a regional official cited by The Associated Press. Failure would likely reopen combat operations and tighten the U.S. naval blockade already cutting Iran off from seaborne trade.

On the ground

Munir's visit is the centerpiece of a broader Pakistani push. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who hosted last weekend's failed talks, is traveling through Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey through Saturday, according to PBS NewsHour. Iranian state media said the Tehran meetings would continue Thursday. Regional officials told the AP that Washington and Tehran have reached an "in principle agreement" to extend the ceasefire to allow more diplomacy, though neither government has confirmed a deal.

Pentagon posture

Hegseth, flanked by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and U.S. Central Command's Adm. Brad Cooper, said the military is "locked and loaded" on Iranian power generation and energy infrastructure and told Iran's leadership to "choose wisely." Hegseth said Cooper is ensuring the U.S. military "continues to implement an ironclad blockade" and is postured to restart combat should Tehran reject a deal. Central Command said Wednesday no ships had passed the cordon since it took effect, and 10 merchant vessels turned back into Iranian waters.

The nuclear split

Vice President JD Vance, Washington's lead negotiator, said the U.S. requires an "affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon," NPR reported. Vance's team has pressed Iran to accept a 20-year moratorium on uranium enrichment, according to a regional official and a person briefed on the matter cited by PBS; Iran has countered with a five-year suspension, which the White House rejected. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran is open to discussing the type and level of enrichment but "based on its needs, must be able to continue enrichment."

Where they differ

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration had not "formally requested an extension of the ceasefire" and described the talks as productive but not final. She told reporters Wednesday that the Pakistanis "are the only mediator in this negotiation." Iranian officials gave a harder line. Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi, who heads Iran's joint military command, threatened to halt trade across the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea if the blockade continues. Mohsen Rezaei, a former Revolutionary Guard commander and new adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said he opposes an extension, telling Iranian state media, "Unlike the Americans who are afraid of continuous war, we are fully prepared and familiar with a long war."

The ceasefire expires Tuesday. The White House said any second round would likely return to Islamabad, but no date has been set. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters the administration is preparing secondary sanctions on countries doing business with Iran that he called the "financial equivalent" of the bombing campaign. The war has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,100 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and 13 U.S. service members, according to figures compiled by the AP.