Last-minute ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran look increasingly uncertain Tuesday as a two-week truce is set to expire and both countries said they were prepared to resume fighting if no deal is reached.
Iran is still deciding whether to join the negotiations, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said, and will only take part if Tehran believe the discussions would yield results. And U.S. Vice President JD Vance remained in Washington in the early afternoon despite being expected to lead U.S. negotiators in Pakistan.
Iran’s chief negotiator and parliament speaker, Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, wrote in a post on X early Tuesday that “We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats,” and the Islamic Republic has been preparing “to reveal new cards on the battlefield.”
Since the war started, fighting has killed at least 3,375 people in Iran and more than 2,290 in Lebanon. Additionally, 23 people have died in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 U.S. service members throughout the region have been killed.