Face-to-face conditional peace negotiations between the United States and Iran began Saturday in Pakistan, attempting to halt a devastating five-week war that has triggered a global energy crisis. The high-stakes summit is operating under a fragile two-week ceasefire, brokered just hours before a US deadline to bomb Iranian infrastructure.
The diplomatic progress was immediately thrown into jeopardy. US President Donald Trump claimed military operations are already underway to forcefully clear Iranian sea mines blockading the Strait of Hormuz. The blockade has choked off 20% of the world’s oil trade.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir are mediating the talks.
The American delegation is spearheaded by the Vice President as JD Vance meets Iran leaders in Islamabad alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The Iranian delegation is led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to a live update from The Guardian.
❗🔴 The United States is beginning the process of clearing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz, Donald Trump wrote on his social media account, Truth Social.
According to the US President, he is doing this "as a favor to countries around the world," including China, Japan,
— Miroslav Something More (@MSMore11707) April 11, 2026
Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday to announce the naval escalation. He claimed the US military initiated the mine-clearing mission as a “favor to Countries all over the World.”
US Navy destroyers USS Frank E Petersen and USS Michael Murphy transited into the Arabian Gulf to execute the operation. Trump claimed Iranian minelaying ships are “lying at the bottom of the sea.”
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency aggressively denied the breach. State media claimed a US destroyer attempted to enter the strait but was forced to retreat following a direct warning from Iranian armed forces.
Conflicting demands are stalling the diplomatic table. Iran demands a total ceasefire extending into Lebanon, where the death toll from Israeli strikes has surpassed 2,000. Tehran also requires the unfreezing of international assets.
Washington demands the immediate, unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The US delegation also demands the total dismantling of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile.
Pakistan successfully brokered the current ceasefire on April 7, averting a threatened bombing campaign.
How Unilateral Mine Clearing Threatens Asian Energy Markets
The Islamabad summit marks the highest-level direct diplomatic engagement between Washington and Tehran in decades, as officials arrived in Pakistan for the summit. Unilateral military movements in the Strait of Hormuz threaten to instantly destabilize this progress.
Global oil importers heavily dependent on the waterway are directly exposed to the fallout. Japan relies on the Middle East for 90% of its crude oil imports. China and South Korea hold massive exposure to supply shocks.
A forceful US dismantling of the maritime blockade without a signed treaty risks immediate Iranian retaliation against commercial vessels. If live fire incidents occur involving civilian tankers, global shipping insurance premiums will spike to unsustainable levels, paralyzing Asian supply chains regardless of physical waterway access.