The third round of Iran-U.S. talks has ended with deep disagreements still remaining, and the Strait of Hormuz and the nuclear issue have become key battlegrounds.

Gate News message: On April 12, local time April 12, the third round of talks between Iran and the United States in Islamabad, Pakistan, has ended. Iran described this round of talks as the “last chance” to reach a framework agreement. Since April 11, the parties’ negotiating agenda has been dense, with consultations continuing late into the night. While all sides are scrambling to seize the temporary ceasefire window to intensify their contest, disagreements remain sharp on three key issues: control of the Strait of Hormuz, the unfreezing of overseas assets, and uranium enrichment. Insiders said that due to the U.S.’s “sky-high demands,” no substantive progress has been made since the Iran–U.S. Islamabad talks began, and they pointed out that some Western media are exaggerating the “positive atmosphere” of the negotiations for the purpose of influencing international energy prices. The fourth round of talks will continue on Sunday.

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Baghaei, briefed on developments in the negotiations in the early hours of today, local time. According to the briefing, negotiations between Iran and the U.S., with Pakistan mediating, began on the morning of April 11 and are still ongoing. The two sides exchanged a large amount of information, and Iran’s negotiating representatives are “doing their utmost to safeguard Iran’s rights.” The briefing said that the sides discussed various aspects of the main negotiation topics, including issues concerning the Strait of Hormuz, the nuclear issue, war reparations, lifting sanctions, and thoroughly ending the wars targeting Iran and the Middle East region. The briefing emphasized that whether this diplomatic process succeeds depends on the U.S.’s sincerity—on whether the U.S. has put forward excessive and unlawful demands and whether it will accept Iran’s legitimate rights.

Outside the negotiation table, the U.S. military announced that it would carry out mine-clearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz. In turn, the Israeli prime minister claimed it would continue to strike Iran and its proxies. With scarcely any time left in the ceasefire window, diplomatic games and military moves are heating up in parallel, and the situation in the Middle East is standing at a crossroads between war and peace.